[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 41 (Tuesday, April 4, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2844-S2845]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               NATIONAL CUSHING'S SYNDROME AWARENESS DAY

  Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
now proceed to consideration of S. Res. 423, which was submitted 
earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 423) designating April 8, 2006 as 
     National Cushing's Syndrome Awareness Day.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I rise today along with my colleague, Tom 
Coburn, to proudly support a resolution designating April 8, 2006, as 
National Cushing's Syndrome Awareness Day. I have long been dedicated 
to quality health care and therefore seek to raise awareness of this 
debilitating disorder that affects an estimated 10 to 15 people per 
million.
  My desire to see my Oklahoma constituents and all Americans receive 
the best possible health care is evidenced by my involvement in various 
health related issues. I have always been a champion of rural health 
care providers. In 1997, I was one of the few Republicans to vote 
against the Balanced Budget Act because of its lack of support for 
rural hospitals. At that time, I made a commitment to not allow our 
rural hospitals to be closed and am pleased we finally addressed that 
important issue in the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 by providing 
great benefits for rural health care providers as well as a voluntary 
prescription drug benefit to seniors. In 2003, I also cosponsored the 
Health Care Access and Rural Equity Act, to protect and preserve access 
of Medicare beneficiaries to health care in rural regions.
  I am a strong advocate of medical liability reform and am an original 
cosponsor of S. 11, the Patients First Act, to protect patients' access 
to quality and affordable health care by reducing the effects of 
excessive liability costs. There are solutions to alleviate the burden 
placed on physicians and patients by excessive medical malpractice 
lawsuits, and I am committed to this vital reform.
  I have also worked with officials from the Center for Medicare and 
Medicaid Services to expand access to lifesaving implantable cardiac 
defibrillators. I supported legislation to increase the supply of 
pancreatic islet cells for research and co-sponsored a bill to take the 
abortion pill RU-486 off the market in the United States.
  I also introduced S. 96, the Flu Vaccine Incentive Act, to help 
prevent any future shortages in flu vaccines. My bill removes 
suffocating price controls from government purchasing of the flu 
vaccine while encouraging more companies to enter the market. Also, my 
bill frees American companies to enter the flu vaccine industry by 
giving them an investment tax credit towards the construction of flu 
vaccine production facilities.
  Additionally, I have consistently co-sponsored yearly resolutions 
designating a day in October as National Mammography Day and a week in 
August as National Health Center Week to raise awareness regarding both 
these issues.
  As the Federal Government invests in improving hospitals and 
healthcare initiatives, I have fought hard to ensure that Oklahoma gets 
its fair share. Specifically, over the past 3 years, I have helped to 
secure $5.2 million in funding for the Oklahoma Medical Research 
Foundation, the Oklahoma State Department of Health planning initiative 
for a rural telemedicine system, the INTEGRIS Healthcare System, the 
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, the Oklahoma Center for 
the Advancement of Science and Technology, St. Anthony's Heart 
Hospital, the Hillcrest Healthcare System, and the Morton Health 
Center.

  I rise before the Senate to seek your help in raising awareness of 
Cushing's Syndrome, which is an endocrine or hormonal disorder caused 
by prolonged exposure of the body's tissue to high levels of the 
hormone cortisol. Though it can lead to death, Cushing's Syndrome often 
goes undiagnosed or misdiagnosed because the initial symptoms are 
shared with a number of milder ailments. These symptoms include, but 
are not limited to, abnormal weight gain, skin changes, fatigue, 
diabetes, high blood pressure, depression and osteoporosis.
  Cushing's Syndrome can take a variety of forms. Normally, the 
hypothalamus, a part of the brain which is about the size of a small 
sugar cube, stimulates the pituitary gland, the adrenal glands, and 
then the kidneys which release cortisol into the bloodstream. High 
levels of cortisol can result from overproducing cortisol

[[Page S2845]]

or from taking glucocorticoid hormones, which are routinely prescribed 
for asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and other inflammatory 
diseases.
  Doctors can detect Cushing's Syndrome through a series of tests, 
often using x rays to examine adrenal or pituitary glands to locate 
tumors. However, since awareness of the syndrome is low, doctors do not 
always run these tests, and patients do not know to ask for them. 
Therefore, treatment often comes later than it should for victims of 
Cushing's Syndrome. Potential treatments for Cushing's Syndrome include 
surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, cortisol-inhibiting drugs, or 
reducing the dosage of glucocorticoid hormones.
  The need for heightened awareness of Cushing's Syndrome was brought 
to my attention by constituents who suffer from this dangerous disease. 
For the sake of these individuals and for the benefit of sufferers in 
your own State and around the Nation, I ask my colleagues to join me in 
this effort to raise awareness of Cushing's Syndrome.
  Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 423) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 423

       Whereas Cushing's Syndrome annually affects an estimated 10 
     to 15 people per million, most of whom are currently between 
     the ages of 20 and 50;
       Whereas Cushing's Syndrome is an endocrine or hormonal 
     disorder caused by prolonged exposure of the body's tissue to 
     high levels of the hormone cortisol;
       Whereas exposure to cortisol can occur by overproduction in 
     the body or by taking glucocorticoid hormones, which are 
     routinely prescribed for asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, 
     or as an immunosuppressant following transplantation;
       Whereas the syndrome may also result from pituitary 
     adenomas, ectopic ACTH syndrome, adrenal tumors, and Familial 
     Cushing's Syndrome;
       Whereas Cushing's Syndrome can cause abnormal weight gain, 
     skin changes, and fatigue and ultimately lead to diabetes, 
     high blood pressure, depression, osteoporosis, and death;
       Whereas Cushing's Syndrome is diagnosed through a series of 
     tests, often requiring x-ray examinations of adrenal or 
     pituitary glands to locate tumors;
       Whereas many people who suffer from Cushing's Syndrome are 
     misdiagnosed or go undiagnosed for years because many of the 
     symptoms are mirrored in milder diseases, thereby delaying 
     important treatment options;
       Whereas treatments for Cushing's Syndrome include surgery, 
     radiation, chemotherapy, cortisol-inhibiting drugs, and 
     reducing the dosage of glucocorticoid hormones;
       Whereas Cushing's Syndrome was discovered by Dr. Harvey 
     Williams Cushing, who was born on April 8th, 1869;
       Whereas the Dr. Harvey Cushing stamp was part of the United 
     States Postal Service's ``Great American'' series, initiated 
     in 1980 to recognize individuals for making significant 
     contributions to the heritage and culture of the United 
     States;
       Whereas President Ronald Reagan spoke on April 8, 1987, in 
     the Rose Garden at a White House ceremony to unveil the 
     commemorative stamp honoring Dr. Harvey Cushing;
       Whereas following the ceremony, President Reagan hosted a 
     reception in the State Dining Room for Mrs. John Hay Whitney, 
     Dr. Cushing's daughter, and representatives of the American 
     Association of Neurological Surgeons; and
       Whereas the Senate is an institution that can raise 
     awareness in the general public and the medical community of 
     Cushing's Syndrome; Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates April 8, 2006, as ``National Cushing's 
     Syndrome Awareness Day'';
       (2) recognizes that all Americans should become more 
     informed and aware of Cushing's Syndrome;
       (3) calls upon the people of the United States to observe 
     the date with appropriate ceremonies and activities; and
       (4) directs the Secretary of the Senate to transmit a copy 
     of this resolution to the Cushing's Understanding, Support & 
     Help Organization.

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