BILL NUMBER: SCR 63	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN SENATE  JUNE 1, 2015

INTRODUCED BY   Senator Bates
   (Coauthors: Senators Anderson, Block, Fuller, Hall, Hertzberg,
Hill, Huff, Leyva, Liu, Nguyen, Pavley, and Vidak)

                        MAY 14, 2015

   Relative to National Stroke Awareness Month.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SCR 63, as amended, Bates. National Stroke Awareness Month.
   This measure would declare the month of May 2015 as National
Stroke Awareness Month in California.
   Fiscal committee: no.



   WHEREAS, Stroke is the leading cause of serious long-term
disability and the  fourth   fifth  leading
cause of death in California, killing about 130,000 people
nationwide and approximately 13,500 citizens of California each year;
and
   WHEREAS, Strokes cost the nation $34 billion annually, including
the cost of health care services, medications, and lost productivity;
and
   WHEREAS, Nearly 80 million Americans have high blood pressure,
which is a major controllable risk factor for stroke, including
 45   44  percent of black 
adults-among   adults--among  the highest
prevalence of any population in the world; and
   WHEREAS, Nearly  60   58  percent of
Americans do not know if they are at risk for a stroke, and one in
three Americans cannot name any of the signs or symptoms of a stroke;
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 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;  sudden  trouble speaking or
difficulty understanding;  sudden  trouble seeing in one or
both eyes;  sudden  trouble walking;  sudden 
dizziness;  sudden  loss of balance  and 
 or  coordination; and  sudden  severe headache
with no known cause; and
   WHEREAS, The American Heart Association urges people to lower
their risk of heart disease and stroke by focusing on "Life's Simple
7" key health factors and behaviors: managing blood pressure,
controlling cholesterol, reducing blood sugar, getting active, eating
better, losing weight, and stopping smoking; 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 Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
thereof concurring, That the Legislature declares the month of May
2015 as National Stroke Awareness Month in California; and be it
further
   Resolved, That the Legislature urges all Californians to
familiarize themselves with the risk factors associated with stroke,
to recognize the warning signs and symptoms of stroke, and, at the
first signs of a stroke, to 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 Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this
resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.