Assembly Concurrent Resolution
No. 187
CHAPTER 90
Relative to American Stroke Month.
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Filed with
Secretary of State
July 11, 2016.
]
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
ACR 187, Gomez.
American Stroke Month.
This measure would proclaim the month of May 2016 as American Stroke Month in California.
Digest Key
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.