By Berlanga H.C.R. No. 161 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, Health care concerns are currently at the forefront 1-2 of the American agenda, and one of the most serious problems facing 1-3 Texas in this regard is a shortage of primary care physicians; and 1-4 WHEREAS, Primary care physicians provide a high level of 1-5 medical care at a low cost because they are able to diagnose and 1-6 treat a wide variety of conditions; these doctors are invaluable in 1-7 providing preventive care such as inoculations, nutritional 1-8 guidance, prenatal and postnatal care, and blood pressure 1-9 screenings, thus averting health care crises that could be 1-10 extremely costly to treat; and 1-11 WHEREAS, By diagnosing illnesses and diseases in their 1-12 earliest stages, they are able to implement treatment programs 1-13 immediately and contain the spread of infectious diseases; in doing 1-14 so, these dedicated men and women are protecting the health and 1-15 safety of entire communities; and 1-16 WHEREAS, Unfortunately, there is a critical shortage of 1-17 primary care physicians in both urban and rural areas of the state, 1-18 and millions of Texans are forced to do without even the most basic 1-19 health care services; in many instances, individuals must wait 1-20 until an illness or injury requires hospitalizations before they 1-21 receive medical attention, and emergency rooms in many areas are 1-22 flooded with patients whose health problems could have been treated 1-23 earlier and more effectively by a family doctor; and 2-1 WHEREAS, Texans are paying a heavy price for this severe 2-2 shortage of general health care providers, and the worst effect is 2-3 the needless pain and suffering experienced by countless 2-4 individuals; until this situation is rectified, the people of this 2-5 state will continue to bear the burden of high health care costs, 2-6 lost productivity, and infectious disease epidemics; and 2-7 WHEREAS, Texas is home to many of the finest hospitals, 2-8 research centers, and medical schools in the world, but our most 2-9 immediate, critical health care need is for general primary care 2-10 physicians to serve in the numerous areas that are without medical 2-11 care; by appealing to the many bright, young minds currently in 2-12 medical school and by recruiting more practicing doctors to fill 2-13 this need, we can avert a more serious crisis and raise the 2-14 standard of health care for all Texans; now, therefore, be it 2-15 RESOLVED, That the 73rd Legislature of the State of Texas 2-16 hereby request state-funded medical schools and health science 2-17 centers, the Texas Department of Health, the Center for Rural 2-18 Health Initiatives, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, 2-19 the Texas Academy of Family Physicians, Texas Pediatric Society, 2-20 Texas Society of Internal Medicine, and the Texas Medical 2-21 Association to heighten public awareness of the continuing need for 2-22 primary care physicians; and, be it further 2-23 RESOLVED, That the year 1994 be declared the Year of the 2-24 Primary Care Physicians, so that this state may draw attention to 2-25 this vital aspect of Texas health care and focus on alleviating 3-1 this tremendous shortage before the year 2000.