| 1 | 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 52 |
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| 2 | 2 | | WHEREAS, Telehealth, the practice of providing health care |
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| 3 | 3 | | services through the use of telecommunications technologies, has |
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| 4 | 4 | | benefited millions of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic and |
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| 5 | 5 | | has become an increasingly important part of medical care in the |
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| 6 | 6 | | U.S. and beyond; and |
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| 7 | 7 | | WHEREAS, The advent of telehealth has allowed health care |
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| 8 | 8 | | providers to remotely and securely connect with patients when |
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| 9 | 9 | | in-person interaction is not clinically necessary or |
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| 10 | 10 | | available, thereby enabling medical professionals to reach a |
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| 11 | 11 | | larger number of patients; because of the safety challenges |
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| 12 | 12 | | posed by COVID-19, telehealth and other virtual care services |
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| 13 | 13 | | have enjoyed far wider use and now represent 15 to 20 percent |
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| 14 | 14 | | of health care delivery; and |
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| 15 | 15 | | WHEREAS, Serving as a valuable means of augmenting |
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| 16 | 16 | | in-person care, telehealth has become an integral tool that |
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| 17 | 17 | | allows providers to do more good for more people and can be |
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| 18 | 18 | | particularly helpful for patients in need of specialty |
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| 19 | 19 | | treatment; and |
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| 20 | 20 | | WHEREAS, Broadening access to telehealth services has the |
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| 21 | 21 | | potential to greatly benefit patients who currently have more |
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| 22 | 22 | | limited health care options, including members of rural and |
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| 23 | 23 | | underserved communities; and |
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| 24 | 24 | | WHEREAS, Telehealth Awareness Week is taking place from |
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| 25 | 25 | | September 19 to 25, 2021, and serves as an occasion to unite |
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| 26 | 26 | | patients, caregivers, health care providers, policymakers, and |
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| 27 | 27 | | other stakeholders around the goal of advancing the role of |
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| 28 | 28 | | telehealth in our health care system; now, therefore, be it |
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| 29 | 29 | | RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 87th |
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| 30 | 30 | | Legislature, 2nd Called Session, hereby recognize September 19 |
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| 31 | 31 | | to 25, 2021, as Telehealth Awareness Week and encourage Texans to |
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| 32 | 32 | | learn more about their telehealth options. |
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| 33 | 33 | | Perry |
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| 34 | 34 | | ________________________________ |
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| 35 | 35 | | President of the Senate |
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| 36 | 36 | | I hereby certify that the |
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| 37 | 37 | | above Resolution was adopted by |
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| 38 | 38 | | the Senate on September 1, 2021. |
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| 39 | 39 | | ________________________________ |
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| 40 | 40 | | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 41 | 41 | | ________________________________ |
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| 42 | 42 | | Member, Texas Senate |
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