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Regular Session, 2012
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 133
BY SENATOR ALLAIN
SENATE. Designates May 31, 2012, as "St. Jude Children's Hospital Day" at the Louisiana
Senate.
A RESOLUTION1
To designate May 31, 2012, as St. Jude Children's Hospital Day at the Louisiana Senate.2
WHEREAS, St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital opened in 1962, and was3
founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas; and4
WHEREAS, St. Jude's mission is to find cures for children with cancer and other5
catastrophic diseases through research and treatment; and6
WHEREAS, St. Jude has treated children from all fifty states and from around the7
world while also being the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay8
for treatment which is not covered by insurance; and9
WHEREAS, no child is ever denied treatment because of the family's inability to10
pay; and11
WHEREAS, in 1962, the survival rate for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most12
common form of childhood cancer, was four percent; and13
WHEREAS, today, the survival rate for this once deadly disease is ninety-four14
percent, thanks to research and treatment protocols developed at St. Jude; and15
WHEREAS, during the past five years, eighty-one cents of every dollar received16
goes to research and treatment at St. Jude; and17
WHEREAS, with a daily operating cost of one point seven million dollars, which are18 SR NO. 133
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primarily covered by public contributions, St. Jude treats on average, five thousand nine1
hundred patients annually, with most treated on an outpatient basis; and2
WHEREAS, St. Jude maintains seventy-eight inpatient beds, treats upwards of two3
hundred and sixty patients daily, while remaining the first and only pediatric cancer center4
to be designated as a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute; and5
WHEREAS, in 2011, St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital was named one of the6
country's "100 Best Companies to Work For", by Fortune magazine under a two-point five7
million square feet of research, clinical, and administrative space dedicated to finding cures8
and saving children; and9
WHEREAS, St. Jude was the first pediatric cancer research institution to place10
doctors, scientists, and patients under one roof, creating a worldwide model for bench-to-11
bedside research and treatment of childhood cancers and other life-threatening diseases; and12
WHEREAS, St. Jude has revolutionized pediatric cancer treatment around the world13
with its groundbreaking use of a combination of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery; and14
WHEREAS, Dr. Peter C. Doherty, PhD, of the St. Jude Immunology department,15
won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1996, sharing the award with Dr. Rolf16
M. Zinkernagel, MD, of the University of Zurich, leading to breakthroughs in the17
understanding and treatment of viral infections and cancers, and the development of organ18
transplant procedures and vaccines; and19
WHEREAS, St. Jude was the first institution to produce a cure for sickle cell disease20
with a bone marrow transplant and has one of the largest pediatric sickle cell disease21
programs in the country.22
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana23
does hereby designate May 31, 2012, as St. Jude Children's Hospital Day at the Louisiana24
Senate.25
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Michelle Broussard-Johnson.
DIGEST
Allain SR No.
Designates May 31, 2012 as "St. Jude Children's Hospital Day" at the Louisiana Senate.