Amended in Assembly May 31, 2016

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 187

Introduced by Assembly Member Gomez

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(Coauthors: Assembly Members Alejo, Travis Allen, Arambula, Atkins, Baker, Bigelow, Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta, Brough, Brown, Burke, Calderon, Campos, Chang, Chau, Chávez, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Beth Gaines, Cristina Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray, Grove, Hadley, Roger Hernández, Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Kim, Lackey, Levine, Linder, Lopez, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Nazarian, Obernolte, Quirk, Rendon, Rodriguez, Santiago, Steinorth, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Williams, and Wood)

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May 17, 2016

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 187—Relative to American Stroke Month.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

ACR 187, as amended, Gomez. American Stroke Month.

This measure would proclaim the month of May 2016 as American Stroke Month in California.

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, Stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term
disability and the fifth leading cause of death in the United States,
killing about 130,000 people nationwide and over 13,500 California
citizens each year; and

WHEREAS, Stroke prevalence is projected to increase by 20.5
percent between 2016 and 2030, inclusive, and the direct medical
costs for treating stroke are expected to almost triple during the
same period from $71.6 billion to $184.1 billion; and

WHEREAS, Nearly 80 million Americans have high blood
pressure, which is a major controllable risk factor for stroke,
including 44 percent of African American adults--among the
highest prevalence of any population in the world; and

WHEREAS, Fifty-eight percent of Americans do not know if
they are at risk for stroke; and

WHEREAS, One in three Americans cannot recall any stroke
warning signs or symptoms; and

WHEREAS, The F.A.S.T. warning signs and symptoms of
stroke include face drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulty, and
time to call 9-1-1; and

WHEREAS, Beyond F.A.S.T., additional stroke warning signs
and symptoms include sudden numbness or weakness of the face,
arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body, sudden confusion,
trouble speaking or understanding, sudden trouble seeing in one
or both eyes, sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance
or coordination, and sudden severe headache with no known cause;
and

WHEREAS, On the American Stroke Month Day of Action,
May 1, 2016, throughout the month of May and year-round, the
American Stroke Association’s “Together to End Stroke” initiative
encourages Americans to learn their personal stroke risk, memorize
and share the stroke warning signs, and call 9-1-1 at the first sign
of a stroke; and

WHEREAS, New and effective treatments have been developed
to treat and minimize the severity and damaging effect of strokes,
but much more research is needed; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature declares the month of
May 2016 to be American Stroke Month in California and urges
all Californians to familiarize themselves with the risk factors
associated with stroke, recognize the warning signs and symptoms,
and on first sign of a stroke dial 9-1-1 immediately in order to
begin to reduce the devastating effects of stroke on our population;
and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
of this resolution to the author and to the Secretary of the Senate
for appropriate distribution.