[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 153 (Friday, September 3, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E952-E953]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RECOGNIZING HYDROCEPHALUS AWARENESS MONTH

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                           HON. LLOYD DOGGETT

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 3, 2021

  Mr. DOGGETT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Hydrocephalus 
Awareness Month. Every September patients, caregivers, and their 
families come together throughout our Nation in support of the more 
than 1,000,000 people of all ages living with hydrocephalus in the 
United States.
  As co-chair of the Congressional Pediatric and Adult Hydrocephalus 
Caucus, I believe Congress has an important role to play in both 
raising awareness of this condition, as well as in crafting policies 
that result in better treatments and potentially a cure. I urge my 
colleagues to join the caucus to learn more about this devastating 
condition. In addition, I urge you to join Representative Chris Smith 
and I in showing your support for this community by cosponsoring our 
resolution, H. Res. 20, which supports the goals and ideals of National 
Hydrocephalus Awareness Month.
  Anyone can develop hydrocephalus, an abnormal accumulation of 
cerebrospinal fluid in the brain, at any time. From children to 
veterans, the breathtaking prevalence of this condition is reflected in 
my own district. For example, the physicians and staff at the 
Children's Hospital of San Antonio perform the brain surgeries 
necessary to treat many of the one in 770 babies across the country who 
develop hydrocephalus per year. Nationwide, these cases alone cost the 
U.S. health care system $2 billion per year.
  Veterans and active military personnel, such as those stationed at 
Joint Base San Antonio, are also disproportionally affected. Since 
2000, more than 370,000 U.S. service members have sustained a traumatic 
brain injury, and it is estimated that 14 percent of those individuals 
with severe TBI--over 50,000 service members--could develop 
hydrocephalus as a result.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing Hydrocephalus 
Awareness Month and, more importantly, their constituents, by joining 
the Congressional Pediatric and Hydrocephalus Caucus and cosponsoring 
H. Res. 20.

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