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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, More than 30 million people are estimated to have |
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kidney disease in the United States, and one in every three |
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Americans is at risk for developing the disease due to diabetes, |
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high blood pressure, or a family history of renal failure; and |
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WHEREAS, The kidneys are vital organs that perform a number |
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of tasks crucial to overall health, including filtering blood, |
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regulating blood pressure, and controlling red blood cell |
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production; and |
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WHEREAS, Chronic kidney disease is characterized by the |
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gradual loss of kidney function, which in advanced stages results |
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in the dangerous buildup of fluids, electrolytes, and wastes in the |
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body; because kidney disease often has few or no symptoms in its |
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early stages, it frequently goes unnoticed until kidney function is |
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significantly impaired; and |
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WHEREAS, Currently, there are more than 50,000 Texans |
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receiving dialysis due to impaired kidney function, and the cost of |
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providing this treatment is high, at an average of more than $80,000 |
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per person annually; in 2016, the total Medicare cost of chronic |
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kidney disease and end-stage renal disease was a combined $114 |
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billion; in addition, kidney patients comprise the vast majority of |
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those on the national organ transplant waiting list, where they |
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face a median wait time of 3.6 years; and |
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WHEREAS, Chronic kidney disease imposes a heavy physical, |
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emotional, and economic burden, but studies have continuously |
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attested to the benefits of early detection and treatment in |
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reducing the incidence of end-stage renal disease and lessening the |
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need for renal dialysis and transplants to keep patients healthy; |
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the observance of Kidney Health Awareness Month provides an |
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opportunity to focus attention on a health issue that may be going |
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unnoticed by many thousands of Texans, as well as to highlight |
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chronic kidney disease as an urgent priority for our state; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 86th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby designate February as Kidney Health Awareness Month; and, be |
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it further |
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RESOLVED, That, in accordance with the provisions of Section |
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391.004(d), Government Code, this designation remain in effect |
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until the 10th anniversary of the date that this resolution is |
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finally passed by the legislature. |