CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20172018 REGULAR SESSION Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 163Introduced by Senator PortantinoAugust 07, 2018 Relative to Hydrocephalus Awareness Month. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGESTSCR 163, as introduced, Portantino. Hydrocephalus Awareness Month.This measure would designate September 2018 as Hydrocephalus Awareness Month in California.Digest Key Fiscal Committee: NO Bill TextWHEREAS, Hydrocephalus is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within the cavities of the brain; andWHEREAS, Hydrocephalus affects a wide range of people from infants and children to young, middle-aged, and older adults; andWHEREAS, There is no known cure for hydrocephalus; andWHEREAS, One to two of every 1,000 babies are born with hydrocephalus, making it as common as Down syndrome and more common than spina bifida or brain tumors; andWHEREAS, Hydrocephalus is the most common reason for brain surgery in children; andWHEREAS, Two-thirds of our military service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries are likely to also have hydrocephalus; andWHEREAS, Hydrocephalus is treated by performing brain surgery to insert a shunt to drain the CSF into another part of the body (usually the abdomen) where it can be absorbed. Originally invented over 50 years ago, shunts have the highest failure rate of any medically implanted device. An estimated 50 percent of shunts fail within the first two years; andWHEREAS, One quarter of a million Americans may have normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), which is most common in older adults and seniors; andWHEREAS, Without appropriate diagnostic testing, NPH is often misdiagnosed as Alzheimers or Parkinsons diseases; andWHEREAS, Research suggests that treating NPH in the elderly population would reduce the United States health care expenditures by $25,000 per patient, or $184 million over five years; andWHEREAS, The medical costs for hydrocephalus are over $1 billion per year, yet the National Institutes of Health invests less than $1 million per year in hydrocephalus treatment; andWHEREAS, Over the last 50 years, there have been no significant improvement in hydrocephalus treatment and no progress toward prevention or cure; now, therefore, be itResolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature proclaims the month of September 2018 as Hydrocephalus Awareness Month in California; and be it furtherResolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20172018 REGULAR SESSION Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 163Introduced by Senator PortantinoAugust 07, 2018 Relative to Hydrocephalus Awareness Month. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGESTSCR 163, as introduced, Portantino. Hydrocephalus Awareness Month.This measure would designate September 2018 as Hydrocephalus Awareness Month in California.Digest Key Fiscal Committee: NO
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE 20172018 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 163
Introduced by Senator PortantinoAugust 07, 2018
Introduced by Senator Portantino
August 07, 2018
Relative to Hydrocephalus Awareness Month.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
## LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SCR 163, as introduced, Portantino. Hydrocephalus Awareness Month.
This measure would designate September 2018 as Hydrocephalus Awareness Month in California.
This measure would designate September 2018 as Hydrocephalus Awareness Month in California.
## Digest Key
## Bill Text
WHEREAS, Hydrocephalus is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within the cavities of the brain; and
WHEREAS, Hydrocephalus affects a wide range of people from infants and children to young, middle-aged, and older adults; and
WHEREAS, There is no known cure for hydrocephalus; and
WHEREAS, One to two of every 1,000 babies are born with hydrocephalus, making it as common as Down syndrome and more common than spina bifida or brain tumors; and
WHEREAS, Hydrocephalus is the most common reason for brain surgery in children; and
WHEREAS, Two-thirds of our military service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with moderate to severe traumatic brain injuries are likely to also have hydrocephalus; and
WHEREAS, Hydrocephalus is treated by performing brain surgery to insert a shunt to drain the CSF into another part of the body (usually the abdomen) where it can be absorbed. Originally invented over 50 years ago, shunts have the highest failure rate of any medically implanted device. An estimated 50 percent of shunts fail within the first two years; and
WHEREAS, One quarter of a million Americans may have normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), which is most common in older adults and seniors; and
WHEREAS, Without appropriate diagnostic testing, NPH is often misdiagnosed as Alzheimers or Parkinsons diseases; and
WHEREAS, Research suggests that treating NPH in the elderly population would reduce the United States health care expenditures by $25,000 per patient, or $184 million over five years; and
WHEREAS, The medical costs for hydrocephalus are over $1 billion per year, yet the National Institutes of Health invests less than $1 million per year in hydrocephalus treatment; and
WHEREAS, Over the last 50 years, there have been no significant improvement in hydrocephalus treatment and no progress toward prevention or cure; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature proclaims the month of September 2018 as Hydrocephalus Awareness Month in California; and be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.