SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 58

WHEREAS, Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month is being observed in Texas and across the nation in March 2017; and

WHEREAS, The term "bleeding disorders" refers to a wide range of medical issues that cause poor blood clotting and abnormal bleeding; these conditions include von Willebrand disease, which is found in approximately one percent of the United States population, and hemophilia, which currently affects about 20,000 Americans; and

WHEREAS, In commemoration of the 30th anniversary of President Ronald Reagan's designating March 1986 as Hemophilia Awareness Month, the National Hemophilia Foundation launched a successful 2016 campaign for the observance of Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month each March in the United States; and

WHEREAS, The Lone Star chapter of the foundation joined together with the Texas Central Hemophilia Association in 2012 to establish the Texas Bleeding Disorders Coalition, an advocacy group that works to increase awareness of bleeding disorders among the general public, government officials, and the medical community; the organization seeks to ensure that all Texans afflicted with these conditions have access to high-quality care at hemophilia treatment centers, to the most effective clotting medications available, and to the support services necessary for the proper management of their disorder; and

WHEREAS, Millions of Americans are living with a bleeding disorder, and this monthlong event offers a time to learn more about such diseases and to focus on the need for further research in the hope of ultimately finding cures; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 85th Legislature, hereby recognize March 2017 as Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month.

Bettencourt

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President of the Senate

I hereby certify that the above Resolution was adopted by the Senate on January 30, 2017.

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Secretary of the Senate

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Member, Texas Senate