[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 518 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 518

Expressing support for the designation of September 2017 as ``Pulmonary 
                      Fibrosis Awareness Month''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 13, 2017

    Mr. Paulsen (for himself and Mr. Cohen) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing support for the designation of September 2017 as ``Pulmonary 
                      Fibrosis Awareness Month''.

Whereas pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a debilitating and ultimately fatal lung 
        condition that causes progressive scarring in the lungs and has no 
        definitive cause;
Whereas, as many as 200,000 individuals in the United States are known to suffer 
        from the progressive, suffocating effects of pulmonary fibrosis;
Whereas the average survival rate for the idiopathic form of pulmonary fibrosis 
        (IPF) is just 2.8 years and up to 80 percent of IPF patients die within 
        5 years of diagnosis;
Whereas pulmonary fibrosis takes the lives of 40,000 or more individuals in the 
        United States each year--approximately 1 every 13 minutes or 110 every 
        day;
Whereas many patients afflicted with pulmonary fibrosis are misdiagnosed for 1 
        to 3 years after presenting pulmonary fibrosis symptoms;
Whereas, as of July 2017, there are no confirmed biomarkers for screening and 
        testing for pulmonary fibrosis;
Whereas a cure, treatment, or drug to halt the fibrotic process in pulmonary 
        fibrosis does not yet exist;
Whereas the symptoms of pulmonary fibrosis vary from person-to-person and 
        include shortness of breath, persistent cough, finger ``clubbing'', 
        weight loss, and aching muscles and joints;
Whereas courageous volunteers, dedicated researchers, tireless caregivers, and 
        medical professionals are working tirelessly to improve the quality of 
        life for individuals with pulmonary fibrosis and for the families of 
        those individuals; and
Whereas developing more effective treatments for pulmonary fibrosis and 
        providing access to quality care for individuals with PF requires 
        significantly increased basic and translational research funding and 
        grants, patient and physician education, and enhanced community support 
        services: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the designation of ``Pulmonary Fibrosis 
        Awareness Month'';
            (2) supports the goals and ideals of ``Pulmonary Fibrosis 
        Awareness Month'';
            (3) continues to support and advocate for more robust and 
        accelerated private, State, and Federal research to develop 
        more effective treatments and therapies for pulmonary fibrosis 
        and to ultimately discover a cure for this lethal disease;
            (4) continues to support and advocate for effective Federal 
        efforts to ease the administrative burdens on those suffering 
        from pulmonary fibrosis and their families and caregivers;
            (5) continues to support and advocate for swift and 
        efficient Federal evaluation and approval of new drugs and 
        other treatment options for pulmonary fibrosis patients;
            (6) recognizes the ongoing courage and contributions of 
        individuals with pulmonary fibrosis who participate in vital, 
        invaluable clinical trials to advance the knowledge of the 
        disease; and
            (7) commends and encourages the continued dedication of 
        organizations, volunteers, researchers, clinicians, 
        rehabilitation professionals, and dedicated individuals in the 
        United States and abroad working tirelessly to improve the 
        quality of life for individuals with pulmonary fibrosis and the 
        families and caregivers of those individuals.
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