ENROLLED
2021 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 112
BY REPRESENTATIVE JONES
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To urge and request the Louisiana Department of Health to establish a pilot program to
increase prostate cancer awareness and education by implementing more efficient
screening and learning tools for men, specifically uninsured, middle-aged, African
American males.
WHEREAS, prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in American
men; and
WHEREAS, prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United
States among males; and
WHEREAS, one in every seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer over the
course of his lifetime; and
WHEREAS, the American Cancer Society estimates that in 2021, in the United
States, there will be over two hundred forty thousand new cases and more than thirty-four
thousand deaths from prostate cancer; and
WHEREAS, approximately three thousand nine hundred men in Louisiana are
expected to be newly diagnosed in 2021; and
WHEREAS, there are typically no noticeable symptoms of prostate cancer in its
early stages; and
WHEREAS, nearly one million American men have prostate cancer and are unaware
of their condition; and
WHEREAS, compared to Caucasian males, African American men are more likely
to develop prostate cancer and are twice as likely to die from the disease; and
WHEREAS, African American men are also more likely than men of other races to
be diagnosed with advanced stages of the disease; and
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WHEREAS, low-grade prostate cancer, in its early stages, has more aggressive
features in African Americans than in people of other races; and
WHEREAS, ongoing research promises further improvements in prostate cancer
prevention, early screening, early detection, and treatment; and
WHEREAS, early detection and treatment offer prostate cancer patients the best hope
for a full recovery, and improving patient outcomes depends a great deal on increasing
public awareness of prostate cancer and its risk factors; and
WHEREAS, additional focus is needed for outreach and education for uninsured
African American men on the benefits of prostate cancer screening, referral services, and
treatment options; and
WHEREAS, educating people in the United States, including healthcare providers,
about prostate cancer and early detection strategies is crucial to saving lives and preserving
families; and
WHEREAS, establishing a pilot program with the Louisiana Department of Health
to increase prostate cancer education and testing for uninsured African American men in
Louisiana could save lives by focusing on men of African descent over fifty years old and
providing prostate cancer screening, referral services, and treatment services along with
comprehensive outreach and education activities to ensure awareness and utilization.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana requests the
Louisiana Department of Health to establish a pilot program to increase prostate cancer
awareness and education by implementing more efficient screenings and learning tools for
men, specifically uninsured, middle-aged, African American males.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the department shall submit its findings to the
Louisiana Legislature on the Prostate Cancer Pilot Program no later than February 1, 2022.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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