[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 2]
[House]
[Pages 2557-2558]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   BLEEDING DISORDERS AWARENESS MONTH

  (Mr. BENISHEK asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BENISHEK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today wearing my red tie because 
this March marks the first national Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month.
  Bleeding disorders, such as hemophilia or Von Willebrand disease, are 
currently estimated to affect more than 3 million people nationwide.
  These disorders are frequently underdiagnosed, and many victims of 
these disorders often struggle to get proper medical care. As a doctor 
who treated patients in northern Michigan, I have firsthand experience 
with patients tackling these difficulties.
  While the medical community has made great strides over the years in 
improving the quality of care available for those impacted by bleeding 
disorders, we can do more.
  I met recently with constituents in my district who are impacted by 
bleeding disorders, and they shared with me the great work being done 
in northern Michigan by Munson Healthcare's Bleeding Disorder Center to 
provide better care for patients throughout northern Michigan.

[[Page 2558]]

  I hope that my colleagues and I can all join together with the 
medical research community to build on these gains and find commonsense 
and bipartisan ways to develop new treatment options for those 
suffering from bleeding disorders.

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