California Senate Bill SCR63 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: SCR 63AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 1, 2015 INTRODUCED BY Senator Bates (Coauthors: Senators Anderson, Block, Fuller, Hall, Hertzberg, Hill, Huff, Leyva, Liu, Nguyen, Pavley, and Vidak) MAY 14, 2015 Relative to National Stroke Awareness Month. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SCR 63, as amended, Bates. National Stroke Awareness Month. This measure would declare the month of May 2015 as National Stroke Awareness Month in California. Fiscal committee: no. WHEREAS, Stroke is the leading cause of serious long-term disability and the  fourth   fifth  leading cause of death in California, killing about 130,000 people nationwide and approximately 13,500 citizens of California each year; and WHEREAS, Strokes cost the nation $34 billion annually, including the cost of health care services, medications, and lost productivity; and WHEREAS, Nearly 80 million Americans have high blood pressure, which is a major controllable risk factor for stroke, including  45   44  percent of black  adults-among   adults--among  the highest prevalence of any population in the world; and WHEREAS, Nearly  60   58  percent of Americans do not know if they are at risk for a stroke, and one in three Americans cannot name any of the signs or symptoms of a stroke; and WHEREAS, The  F.A.S.T.  warning signs and symptoms of stroke include  face drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulty, and time to call 9-1-1; and beyond F.A.S.T., additional stroke warning signs and symptoms include sudden  numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body;  sudden  confusion;  sudden  trouble speaking or difficulty understanding;  sudden  trouble seeing in one or both eyes;  sudden  trouble walking;  sudden  dizziness;  sudden  loss of balance  and   or  coordination; and  sudden  severe headache with no known cause; and WHEREAS, The American Heart Association urges people to lower their risk of heart disease and stroke by focusing on "Life's Simple 7" key health factors and behaviors: managing blood pressure, controlling cholesterol, reducing blood sugar, getting active, eating better, losing weight, and stopping smoking; and WHEREAS, New and effective treatments have been developed to treat and minimize the severity and damaging effect of strokes, but much more research is needed; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature declares the month of May 2015 as National Stroke Awareness Month in California; and be it further Resolved, That the Legislature urges all Californians to familiarize themselves with the risk factors associated with stroke, to recognize the warning signs and symptoms of stroke, and, at the first signs of a stroke, to dial 9-1-1 immediately in order to begin to reduce the devastating effects of stroke on our population; and be it further Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.