Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas Senate Bill SCR46 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	By: Hinojosa S.C.R. No. 46
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4	4	CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
5	5	WHEREAS, During the transition from childhood to adulthood,
6	6	adolescents often fail to receive regular primary health care
7	7	screenings and treatment that could greatly improve their current
8	8	and future health; and
9	9	WHEREAS, Many adolescents are adversely affected by serious
10	10	health and safety issues, such as motor vehicle crashes, violence,
11	11	and substance abuse; they also struggle to adopt behaviors that
12	12	could decrease their risk of developing chronic diseases in
13	13	adulthood--behaviors such as eating nutritiously, engaging in
14	14	physical activity, and choosing not to use tobacco; a number of
15	15	environmental factors, such as family, peer group, school, and
16	16	community characteristics, contribute to the challenges that
17	17	adolescents face; and
18	18	WHEREAS, Adolescence is a critical time for developing
19	19	positive habits and skills that can lead to healthy behaviors over
20	20	an individual's lifetime; the Institute of Medicine and the
21	21	National Research Council conducted a study that found that one
22	22	important factor in designing an adolescent health service is the
23	23	focus on prevention of disease; one of the conclusions of the study
24	24	was the "prevention, early intervention and timely treatment
25	25	improve the health status for adolescents, prepare them for healthy
26	26	adulthood, and decrease the incidence of many chronic diseases in
27	27	adulthood"; and
28	28	WHEREAS, In the past few years, immunizations have been
29	29	licensed to provide protection for teens against such illnesses as
30	30	meningococcal infections, pertussis, or whooping cough, and
31	31	cervical cancer; the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
32	32	specifically recommends the use of FDA-approved vaccines for
33	33	pertussis, tetanus, and meningitis, in adolescents; a national
34	34	survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
35	35	(CDC) found, however, that immunization coverage levels among
36	36	adolescents in 2006 failed to meet the Healthy People 2010
37	37	objective of 90 percent coverage for youth aged 13 through 15 for
38	38	any of the vaccines measured; and
39	39	WHEREAS, Numerous organizations have emphasized the
40	40	importance of routine screenings and inoculations in promoting the
41	41	health of adolescents; the Society for Adolescent Medicine has
42	42	found that adolescent well physicals are one of the most effective
43	43	of preventive care tools for ensuring continued health from
44	44	childhood to adulthood and that adolescents who regularly visit a
45	45	primary care physician are less likely to visit emergency rooms and
46	46	have preventable hospitalizations and are more likely to receive
47	47	recommended immunizations and other evidence-based health care
48	48	services; and
49	49	WHEREAS, The Texas Department of State Health Service (DSHS)
50	50	is the agency responsible for the implementation of the Adolescent
51	51	Health Program, which maintains a comprehensive and holistic view
52	52	of adolescents' health and well-being and provides information on
53	53	adolescent health through consultation, technical assistance, and
54	54	educational presentations to local, state, public, and private
55	55	agencies; in addition, DSHS is the agency that houses the Texas
56	56	Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity Prevention Program, the
57	57	Texas Asthma Control Program, the Immunization Branch, and the
58	58	School Health Program, all of which have a significant, positive
59	59	impact on the health and well-being of adolescent Texans; and
60	60	WHEREAS, The Texas Education Agency (TEA) provides education
61	61	to children and parents about healthy practices and behaviors
62	62	through the curriculum it requires for health, fitness, and life
63	63	skills courses, as well as through the activity of the TEA Division
64	64	of Health and Safety, which provides coordination, leadership,
65	65	policy development, and implementation assistance for specific
66	66	state and federal requirements and programs that emphasize
67	67	providing students with opportunities to achieve their maximum
68	68	potential for a safe and healthy lifestyle; and
69	69	WHEREAS, Additionally, the Health Resources and Services
70	70	Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
71	71	has developed, in conjunction with the American Academy of
72	72	Pediatricians, the Bright Futures initiative, which provides a set
73	73	of guidelines for adolescent care, including recommendations on
74	74	immunizations and routine health screenings; for its part, the CDC
75	75	has launched a national campaign to raise awareness about
76	76	adolescent health and immunizations; and
77	77	WHEREAS, Parents' awareness of the need for adolescent well
78	78	visits is a crucial factor in determining whether their children
79	79	receive routine health care and preventive treatment; now,
80	80	therefore, be it
81	81	RESOLVED, That the 81st Legislature of the State of Texas
82	82	hereby express its support of efforts to improve adolescent health
83	83	by educating parents about the fundamental importance of
84	84	adolescents' receiving regular physical exams and updated
85	85	immunizations; and, be it further
86	86	RESOLVED, That the legislature direct the Texas Department of
87	87	State Health Services and the Texas Education Agency and all other
88	88	state agencies that provide information, services, or support to
89	89	adolescent Texans or their parents to seek out opportunities to
90	90	educate them as to the importance of these exams and of acquiring
91	91	recommended immunizations and the positive impact that these
92	92	measures will have on adolescents' long-term health and well-being;
93	93	and, be it further
94	94	RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward an
95	95	official copy of this resolution to the commissioner of the Texas
96	96	Department of State Health Services and the commissioner of
97	97	education.