SLS 12RS-4860 ORIGINAL Page 1 of 2 Regular Session, 2012 SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 147 BY SENATOR HEITMEIER LEGIS POWERS/FUNCTIONS. To declare the month of September 2012 as "Pain Awareness Month" in Louisiana. A RESOLUTION1 To declare the month of September 2012 as "Pain Awareness Month" in Louisiana.2 WHEREAS, in the United States over one hundred million adults suffer from chronic3 pain, including millions of adults with debilitating conditions like chronic lower back pain,4 fibromyalgia and arthritis; and5 WHEREAS, the suffering of chronic pain by adults in this country costs America up6 to six hundred thirty-five billion dollars a year in added expenses and lost productivity,7 including billions of dollars in state Medicaid expenditures; and8 WHEREAS, chronic pain is a major public health problem and a hidden driver of9 rising health care costs; and10 WHEREAS, significant barriers to adequate pain care exist, and millions of11 Americans may receive inadequate pain care; and12 WHEREAS, system and organizational barriers, many of them driven by current13 insurance reimbursement policies, may obstruct patient-centered care.14 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana15 does hereby recognize September 2012 as "Pain Awareness Month".16 SR NO. 147 SLS 12RS-4860 ORIGINAL Page 2 of 2 The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Christopher D. Adams. DIGEST Heitmeier SR No. 147 Declares the month of September 2012 as "Pain Awareness Month" in Louisiana.