82R9585 MGR-D
By: Kolkhorst H.R. No. 517
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Osteopathic physicians from across the Lone Star
State are gathering in Austin on February 23, 2011, to commemorate
Osteopathic Medicine Day at the State Capitol; and
WHEREAS, Osteopathic physicians are committed to meeting the
needs of the whole person and the whole family, and they share the
philosophical belief that home, work, and spiritual and social
environments have a significant impact on a patient's health and
well-being; and
WHEREAS, Osteopathic medical students from Texas study at
many osteopathic medical schools across the country, and 728
students are currently enrolled at the University of North Texas
Health Science Center's Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine;
these students, upon graduation, will enter primary care
specialties in numbers well above the national and state averages
for medical school programs, and many go on to offer primary care
through family, general, internal medicine, OB/GYN, and pediatric
practices; they also provide preventive and public health services,
as well as an entire spectrum of specialty care; there are currently
nearly 4,000 licensed osteopathic physicians in Texas, including
growing numbers of women and Hispanic, Asian, and African American
doctors; and
WHEREAS, Texas osteopathic physicians serve their country as
members of the United States armed forces; they also practice in
rural and medically underserved areas of the state, and in some
instances they are the only doctors in their respective counties; a
number of these dedicated professionals are providing medical care
to Texas legislators and their staffs as participants in the Doctor
of the Day program at the State Capitol during the week of February
21 to February 25, 2011; and
WHEREAS, Practitioners of osteopathic medicine play a vital
role in maintaining the health and well-being of countless Texans,
and they may indeed reflect with pride on their myriad
contributions to this state; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby recognize February 23, 2011, as Osteopathic
Medicine Day at the State Capitol and extend to all the state's
osteopathic physicians and medical students sincere appreciation
for their efforts to provide quality, comprehensive, and
personalized care.