| 1 | 1 | | 25 LC 59 0168 |
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| 2 | 2 | | House Resolution 778 |
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| 3 | 3 | | By: Representatives Bennett of the 94 |
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| 4 | 4 | | th |
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| 5 | 5 | | , Scoggins of the 14 |
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| 6 | 6 | | th |
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| 7 | 7 | | , Hugley of the 141 |
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| 8 | 8 | | st |
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| 9 | 9 | | , Bazemore |
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| 10 | 10 | | of the 69 |
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| 11 | 11 | | th |
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| 12 | 12 | | , and Drenner of the 85 |
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| 13 | 13 | | th |
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| 14 | 14 | | |
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| 15 | 15 | | A RESOLUTION |
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| 16 | 16 | | Recognizing October 9, 2025, as PANDAS Awareness Day at the state capitol; and for other |
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| 17 | 17 | | 1 |
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| 18 | 18 | | purposes.2 |
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| 19 | 19 | | WHEREAS, pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) and pediatric3 |
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| 20 | 20 | | autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcal infection (PANDAS)4 |
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| 21 | 21 | | create the sudden onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder in children, causing previously5 |
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| 22 | 22 | | healthy and emotionally well-adjusted children to experience severe anxiety and emotional6 |
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| 23 | 23 | | disturbances; and7 |
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| 24 | 24 | | WHEREAS, children with PANS and PANDAS experience some or all of the following8 |
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| 25 | 25 | | symptoms: tics or other abnormal movements, severe separation anxiety, generalized anxiety,9 |
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| 26 | 26 | | irritability, aggression, personality changes, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, marked10 |
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| 27 | 27 | | deterioration in learning and school performance, and developmental regression, including11 |
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| 28 | 28 | | regression in handwriting; and12 |
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| 29 | 29 | | WHEREAS, children with PANS and PANDAS may experience a moderate to dramatic13 |
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| 30 | 30 | | improvement with antibiotics, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment, or14 |
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| 31 | 31 | | plasmapheresis; and15 |
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| 32 | 32 | | H. R. 778 |
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| 33 | 33 | | - 1 - 25 LC 59 0168 |
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| 34 | 34 | | WHEREAS, researchers at leading academic institutions are engaged in extensive research |
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| 35 | 35 | | 16 |
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| 36 | 36 | | on the disease mechanism of and effective treatments for these disorders; and17 |
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| 37 | 37 | | WHEREAS, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) is developing a pilot clinic to treat18 |
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| 38 | 38 | | children with PANS and PANDAS; and19 |
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| 39 | 39 | | WHEREAS, the 2019 PANS Study Committee Report of the House of Representatives20 |
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| 40 | 40 | | identified specific policy goals for Georgia regarding insurance coverage for diagnosis and21 |
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| 41 | 41 | | treatment; pediatric provider training in medical, educational, and behavioral health settings;22 |
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| 42 | 42 | | and increased public health surveillance of these disorders; and23 |
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| 43 | 43 | | WHEREAS, the deep medical and bioscience resources in Georgia make our state well24 |
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| 44 | 44 | | situated to meaningfully contribute to best medical practices, research, and medical25 |
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| 45 | 45 | | technology to advance the early diagnosis and treatment of children with PANS and26 |
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| 46 | 46 | | PANDAS; and27 |
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| 47 | 47 | | WHEREAS, expert providers in the PANS consortium estimate that one in 200 children have28 |
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| 48 | 48 | | PANS or PANDAS, meaning these diseases affect roughly 15,000 children in Georgia; and29 |
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| 49 | 49 | | WHEREAS, many general pediatricians, nurse practitioners, and pediatric subspecialists are30 |
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| 50 | 50 | | not familiar with the most current diagnostic criteria and treatment guidelines for these31 |
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| 51 | 51 | | disorders; and32 |
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| 52 | 52 | | WHEREAS, in addition to lack of access to treating providers, many insurers do not cover33 |
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| 53 | 53 | | treatment for PANS and PANDAS, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars, placing the34 |
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| 54 | 54 | | treatment out of reach for most families; and35 |
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| 55 | 55 | | H. R. 778 |
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| 56 | 56 | | - 2 - 25 LC 59 0168 |
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| 57 | 57 | | WHEREAS, the Southeastern PANS/PANDAS Association (SEPPA) is a Georgia based, |
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| 58 | 58 | | 36 |
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| 59 | 59 | | nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding access to expert, insurance based care for37 |
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| 60 | 60 | | children and families suffering from PANS and PANDAS in this region; and38 |
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| 61 | 61 | | WHEREAS, it is imperative that there be greater public awareness of this serious health issue39 |
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| 62 | 62 | | among parents, policymakers, and medical providers in Georgia.40 |
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| 63 | 63 | | NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that41 |
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| 64 | 64 | | the members of this body recognize October 9, 2025, as PANDAS Awareness Day at the42 |
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| 65 | 65 | | state capitol.43 |
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| 66 | 66 | | BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized44 |
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| 67 | 67 | | and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the45 |
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| 68 | 68 | | public and the press.46 |
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| 69 | 69 | | H. R. 778 |
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| 70 | 70 | | - 3 - |
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