Amended in Assembly August 11, 2016

Amended in Assembly June 27, 2016

Amended in Assembly February 4, 2016

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Concurrent ResolutionNo. 128


Introduced by Assembly Member Brown

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(Coauthors: Assembly Members Achadjian, Travis Allen, Arambula, Atkins, Baker, Bigelow, Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta, Brough, Burke, Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Beth Gaines, Gallagher, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray, Grove, Hadley, Harper, Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Kim, Lackey, Levine, Linder, Lopez, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Olsen, Patterson, Quirk, Rendon, Rodriguez, Salas, Santiago, Steinorth, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wilk, Williams, and Wood)

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January 28, 2016


Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 128—Relative to Sickle Cell Anemia Awareness Month.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

ACR 128, as amended, Brown. Sickle Cell Anemia Awareness Month.

This measure would recognize the month of September 2016 as Sickle Cell Anemia Awareness Month.

Fiscal committee: no.

P2    1WHEREAS, Sickle cell anemia and sickle cell disease, used
2interchangeably, refer to a group of inherited disorders that affect
3the red blood cells; and

4WHEREAS, Sickle cell anemia is a disease in which a person’s
5body produces abnormally shaped red blood cells that resemble a
6crescent or sickle and that do not last as long as normal round red
7blood cells, which leads to anemia. The sickle cells also get stuck
8in blood vessels and block blood flow, which can cause pain and
9organ damage; and

10WHEREAS, Sickle cell anemia is a genetic disorder that occurs
11in individuals who are born with two sickle cell genes, each
12inherited from one parent. An individual with only one sickle cell
13gene has “sickle cell trait,” which occurs in one out of every 12
14African Americans and in one out of every 100 Latinos in the
15United States; and

16WHEREAS, According to the United States Department of
17Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health,
18approximately two million Americans carry the sickle cell trait,
19and unlike most people with sickle cell anemia, most people who
20have sickle cell trait never know they have it and can live their
21entire lives without any complications from it; and

22WHEREAS, Serious problems associated with sickle cell trait
23are rare. However, exercise-related sudden death in individuals
24who have sickle cell trait most commonly occurs in those
25undergoing intense physical exertion, such as military recruits in
26basic training and athletes during conditioning workouts; and

27WHEREAS, Individuals with sickle cell trait should not be
28excluded from physical activity, including sports, unless
29recommended by medical personnel. Instead, people should be
30educated about precautions that should be taken, including drinking
31adequate amounts of fluids, pacing training with longer periods
32of rest and recovery, avoiding participation in performance tests
33such as sprints and mile runs, and, most importantly, being familiar
34with the symptoms of overexertion; and

35WHEREAS, According to the federal Centers for Disease
36Control and Prevention, it is estimated that more than 90,000
37Americans have sickle cell anemia. Sickle cell anemia occurs in
38one out of every 500 African American births and in one out of
39every 36,000 Latino births; and

P3    1WHEREAS, Sickle cell anemia can be a life-threatening
2condition, and access to comprehensive care can be limited by
3social, economic, cultural, and geographic barriers; and

4WHEREAS, The average cost of hospitalization for sickle cell
5anemia in 2004 was $6,223, for more than 84,000 hospital
6admissions that year. Total hospitalization costs for individuals
7with sickle cell anemia equaled $488,000,000, of which 65 percent
8were covered by Medicaid funds; and

9WHEREAS, Individuals living with sickle cell anemia encounter
10barriers to obtaining quality care and improving their quality of
11life. These barriers include limitations in geographic access to
12comprehensive care, the varied use of effective treatments, the
13high reliance on emergency care and public health programs, and
14the limited number of health care providers with knowledge and
15experience to manage and treat sickle cell anemia; and

16WHEREAS, The Sickle Cell Anemia Control Act was signed
17into law in 1972 by President Richard Nixon after pledging that
18his administration would “reverse the record of neglect of the
19dreaded disease” by increasing funding for and expanding sickle
20cell anemia-related programs, including the development of
21comprehensive sickle cell anemia centers; and

22WHEREAS, In 1975, the Sickle Cell Disease Association of
23America, Inc., and its member organizations began conducting
24month-long events in September to call attention to sickle cell
25anemia and the need to address the problem at national and local
26levels, and chose September as National Sickle Cell Awareness
27Month in order for the public to reflect on the children and adults
28whose lives, education, and careers have been affected by this
29disease; and

30WHEREAS, Sickle cell disease is a chronic condition that can
31affect any organ, including the kidneys, lungs, and spleen. Research
32indicates that patients experience many severe complications,
33including stroke, infections, and pulmonary embolism; and

34WHEREAS, Pain is the most common complication of sickle
35cell disease and the primary reason that people with the disease
36go to the emergency room or hospital; and

37WHEREAS, While there is no widely available cure for sickle
38cell disease, emerging treatments, including medications that
39prevent blood cells from sickling, are being studied; and

P4    1WHEREAS, A potentially groundbreaking investigational drug,
2GMI 1070, designed to treat painful vaso-occlusive crises, which
3occur when red blood cells lump together and impede blood flow
4in sickle cell patients, has been found to be safe following a clinical
5trial at the University of California, Davis; and

6WHEREAS, In 2003, the Sickle Cell Treatment Act was signed
7into law; and

8WHEREAS, The effort to officially recognize Sickle Cell
9Anemia Awareness Month succeeded at the federal level in 1983
10when the United States House of Representatives unanimously
11passed, and President Ronald Reagan signed, the first resolution
12introduced by the Congressional Black Caucus that recognized
13September as National Sickle Cell Anemia Awareness Month;
14now, therefore, be it

15Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
16thereof concurring, that the Legislature
recognizes the month of
17September 2016 as Sickle Cell Anemia Awareness Month; and be
18it further

19Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
20of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.



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