[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1664 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1664

   Supporting the goals and ideals of Spina Bifida Awareness Month, 
  recognizing the importance of increasing access to health care for 
 individuals with disabilities, including those with Spina Bifida, and 
     raising awareness of the need for health care facilities and 
 examination rooms to be accessible for individuals with disabilities.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 28, 2010

    Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. Stupak, Mr. Burton of 
 Indiana, and Mr. Grijalva) submitted the following resolution; which 
          was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Supporting the goals and ideals of Spina Bifida Awareness Month, 
  recognizing the importance of increasing access to health care for 
 individuals with disabilities, including those with Spina Bifida, and 
     raising awareness of the need for health care facilities and 
 examination rooms to be accessible for individuals with disabilities.

Whereas October is Spina Bifida Awareness Month;
Whereas the number of individuals living with all forms of Spina Bifida, the 
        Nation's most common permanently disabling birth defect is estimated by 
        the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to be as many as 
        166,000;
Whereas the risk of Spina Bifida can be reduced by up to 70 percent if women of 
        childbearing age consume 400 mcg of folic acid every day, prior to 
        becoming pregnant;
Whereas there are 65,000,000 women of childbearing age in the United States, all 
        of whom are potentially at risk of having a pregnancy affected by Spina 
        Bifida;
Whereas an additional 1,500 babies are born each year with Spina Bifida;
Whereas Spina Bifida is a complicated condition, adversely impacting virtually 
        every organ system and requiring multiple clinical specialists to 
        provide life-long quality medical and psychosocial care;
Whereas the Spina Bifida Association recently announced that one of its 
        volunteers, Debbie Blanchard, a woman who lived with Spina Bifida for 55 
        years, died from a late stage diagnosis of cervical cancer stemming from 
        her inability to find a health care provider in her community who had an 
        examination table that would lower to the level necessary for her to 
        comfortably and safely transfer from her wheelchair to the examination 
        table so she could be screened for cervical cancer;
Whereas according to the Census, approximately 1 in 5 United States residents 
        live with some sort of physical disability;
Whereas more than 54,000,000 people in the United States report some level of 
        disability and approximately 35,000,000 of those are classified as 
        having a severe disability;
Whereas an estimated 11,000,000 individuals age 6 and older need personal 
        assistance with every day activities, including taking a bath or shower, 
        preparing meals, and getting around the home;
Whereas 5 percent of the United States population over age 15 uses a wheelchair 
        or similar device, cane, crutches, or walker;
Whereas studies have found that individuals with disabilities have significant 
        difficulty in accessing routine and specialized health care and that 
        numerous barriers exist for such patients;
Whereas approximately 1 in 3 women with disabilities report being denied 
        services at a physician's office solely because of their disability;
Whereas research shows that women with disabilities are less likely to have Pap 
        smears and mammograms, are more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage 
        of breast cancer, and are less likely to receive standard treatments and 
        have worse outcomes;
Whereas individuals with disabilities report that one of the leading barriers to 
        accessing necessary health care is the inability to find an accessible 
        health care provider and identify providers who understand how to treat 
        individuals with disabilities and are willing to have them as patients; 
        and
Whereas organizations representing individuals with disabilities report that 
        their constituents need more and better information regarding accessible 
        health care providers in their communities and additional support and 
        resources to help ensure they receive the care they need and deserve: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That Congress--
            (1) supports the goals and ideals of Spina Bifida Awareness 
        Month to provide a special opportunity to raise awareness of 
        the ongoing, life-long medical and psychosocial needs of 
        individuals with Spina Bifida and highlighting efforts to 
        prevent Spina Bifida through daily folic acid intake by women 
        of childbearing age, prior to becoming pregnant;
            (2) urges Federal efforts to improve health provider 
        awareness of the need for accessible health care facilities for 
        individuals with disabilities, including such activities as 
        developing and disseminating informational tools to raise 
        provider awareness of the physical challenges experienced by 
        patients with disabilities; and
            (3) urges the Secretary of Health and Human Services to 
        establish a National Advisory Committee on Access to Health 
        Care for Individuals with Disabilities to ensure interagency 
        coordination of efforts to improve access to care for 
        individuals with Spina Bifida and other disabilities.
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