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Regular Session, 2014
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 67
BY REPRESENTATIVES LEGER AND WILLMOTT
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To authorize and request the School of Public Health of the Louisiana State University
Health Sciences Center at New Orleans and the Feist-Weiller Cancer Center of the
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at Shreveport, jointly, to
coordinate an initiative to be known as the Louisiana Colorectal Cancer Roundtable
and to report findings concerning colorectal cancer prevention efforts to the
legislature annually.
WHEREAS, Louisiana has the second highest rate of diagnosis of colorectal cancer
in the United States and the fourth highest death rate from this form of cancer; and
WHEREAS, reliable estimates indicate that on an annual basis more than two
thousand three hundred individuals in Louisiana are diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and
more than eight hundred sixty individuals die from the disease; and
WHEREAS, colorectal cancer is one of the most preventable forms of cancer because
screening tests find polyps that can be removed before becoming cancerous; and
WHEREAS, screening tests can detect colorectal cancer early in its progression when
treatment works best; and
WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that if every
person aged fifty or older had regular screening tests, as many as sixty percent of deaths
from colorectal cancer could be prevented; and
WHEREAS, the five-year survival rate for patients with localized colorectal cancer
is ninety percent, but only thirty-nine percent of all diagnoses occur at this stage; and
WHEREAS, colorectal cancer screening can effectively reduce incidence of and
mortality from this form of cancer, yet one in three adults between the ages of fifty and
seventy-five are not up to date with their recommended screening; and ENROLLEDHCR NO. 67
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WHEREAS, educational efforts can help convey valuable information to the public
concerning methods of prevention and screening, as well as about symptoms for early
detection; and
WHEREAS, the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable is encouraging groups to
take an "eighty percent by 2018" pledge to commit to efforts aimed at increasing the number
of people screened for colorectal cancer and eliminating colorectal cancer as a major public
health problem.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
authorize and request the School of Public Health of the Louisiana State University Health
Sciences Center at New Orleans and the Feist-Weiller Cancer Center of the Louisiana State
University Health Sciences Center at Shreveport, jointly, to coordinate an initiative to be
known as the Louisiana Colorectal Cancer Roundtable.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the roundtable shall report findings concerning
colorectal cancer prevention efforts in this state in the form of a written report to the
legislature on or before January 1, 2015, and annually thereafter.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby affirm
the commitment of this state to the goals of the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable's
"eighty percent by 2018" initiative.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
chancellor of the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at New Orleans and the
chancellor of the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at Shreveport.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATI VES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE