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Regular Session, 2013 ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 41
BY SENATOR BROOME
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To urge and request the Department of Health and Hospitals to examine the benefits of
routine nutritional screening and therapeutic nutrition treatment for those who are
malnourished or at risk for malnutrition, as well as examine the benefits of nutrition
screening and therapeutic nutrition treatment as part of the standard for
evidenced-based hospital care, to support an increased emphasis on nutrition through
the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, as well as for Medicare
beneficiaries, to improve their disease management and health outcomes, and to
express encouragement that preventive and wellness services, such as counseling for
obesity and chronic disease management, are part of the Essential Health Benefits
package included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
WHEREAS, the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) has
established policy promoting the importance of quality nutrition for all Americans in order
to maintain healthy, active, independent lifestyles; and
WHEREAS, the NBCSL adopted policy supporting increased access to quality
nutrition and support for infants and children, as passed by the United States Congress in
Resolution HHS-11-19; and
WHEREAS, leading health and nutrition experts agree that nutrition status is a direct
measure of patient health and that good nutrition and good patient health can keep people
healthy and out of institutionalized health care facilities, thus reducing healthcare costs; and
WHEREAS, inadequate or unbalanced nutrition, known as malnutrition, is not
routinely viewed as a medical concern in this nation, and that malnutrition is particularly
prevalent in vulnerable populations, such as older adults, hospitalized patients, or minority
populations that statistically shoulder the highest incidences of the most severe chronic
illnesses such as diabetes, kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease; and SCR NO. 41 ENROLLED
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WHEREAS, illness, injury, and malnutrition can result in the loss of lean body mass,
leading to complications that impact good patient health outcomes, including recovery from
surgery, illness, or disease; the elderly lose lean body mass more quickly and to a greater
extent than younger adults and weight assessment (body weight and body mass index) can
overlook accurate indicators of lean body mass; and
WHEREAS, the American Nursing Association defines therapeutic nutrition as the
administration of food and fluids to support the metabolic processes of a patient who is
malnourished or at high risk of becoming malnourished; and
WHEREAS, access to therapeutic nutrition is critical in restoring lean body mass
such that it resolves malnutrition challenges and, in turn, improves clinical outcomes,
reduces health care costs, and can keep people and our communities healthy; and
WHEREAS, despite the recognized link between good nutrition and good health,
nutritional screening and therapeutic nutrition treatment have not been incorporated as
routine medical treatments across the spectrum of health care.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana urges and
requests that the Department of Health and Hospitals examine the benefits of routine
nutritional screening and therapeutic nutrition treatment for those who are malnourished or
at risk for malnutrition, as well as examine the benefits of nutrition screening and therapeutic
nutrition treatment as part of the standard for evidenced-based hospital care.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana supports an
increased emphasis on nutrition through the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, as
well as for Medicare beneficiaries, to improve their disease management and health
outcomes.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana is encouraged that
preventive and wellness services, such as counseling for obesity and chronic disease
management, are part of the Essential Health Benefits package included in the Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the
president of the United States, the vice president of the United States, the secretary of the
United States Senate and the clerk of the United States House of Representatives, to each SCR NO. 41 ENROLLED
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member of the Louisiana delegation to the United States Congress, and to the secretary of
the Department of Health and Hospitals.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES