IV 112th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 262 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 10, 2011 Mr. Van Hollen (for himself and Mr. McCaul) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce RESOLUTION Supporting efforts to raise awareness, improve education, and encourage research and treatment of the psychosocial needs of children, adolescents, and young adults diagnosed with a childhood cancer and their families.

Whereas childhood cancer is the number one killer of children by disease, more than asthma, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, congenital anomalies, and pediatric AIDS combined; Whereas approximately 2,300 children with cancer die each year; Whereas childhood cancer results in the fifth highest number of life-years lost to any type of cancer; Whereas as a result of their cancer treatments, 15 percent of children with cancer are diagnosed with anxiety, 10 percent are diagnosed with depression, 10 to 20 percent are diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and 59 percent of children have a diagnosable mental health issue; Whereas as many as two-thirds of childhood cancer survivors are likely to experience at least one late effect of treatment, including many psychological and social disorders, and with as many as one-fourth facing serious or life-threatening late effects, including neuro-cognitive and psychological, cardiopulmonary, and secondary malignancies; Whereas over half of all families with a child, adolescent, or young adult diagnosed with a type of childhood cancer will file for personal bankruptcy because of the cost of fighting the disease; Whereas only one new drug has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration specifically for any childhood cancer in the past 20 years; Whereas despite the trauma caused by childhood cancer, there is a lack of standardized and coordinated psychosocial care for the children and their families, from the date of diagnosis through treatment and survivorship; and Whereas while efforts are being made by health care providers to address the psychosocial needs of children, adolescents, young adults, and their families, there is still a great need for more resources: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1)supports efforts that raise awareness about all childhood, adolescent, and young adult cancers, such as osteosarcoma, brain tumors, and difficult to treat childhood cancers; (2)encourages the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to take steps to address the psychosocial needs of the children, adolescents, young adults, and their families living with childhood cancer; (3)urges public and private sector health organizations to take steps to increase physician, nursing, and other health care providers’ awareness of the psychosocial needs of children, adolescents, young adults, and their families battling childhood cancer, as well as increase access to readily available mental health services in support of these efforts; (4)urges the Federal Government and the private sector to invest in the development of new and improved psychosocial and medical treatments and therapies for children, adolescents, and young adults diagnosed with and surviving cancer; and (5)encourages the Federal Government and the private sector to devote resources to find better treatments for and build awareness of childhood cancer and to emphasize the importance of the psychosocial needs of children, adolescents, young adults, and their families battling childhood cancer.