Florida Senate - 2015                            (NP)    SR 1592
       
       
        
       By Senator Thompson
       
       
       
       
       
       12-02171-15                                           20151592__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution recognizing July 2015 as “Fibroid
    3         Awareness Month” in the State of Florida.
    4  
    5         WHEREAS, the State of Florida has an interest in fostering
    6  the health and well-being of its citizens and engaging in a
    7  conscientious commitment to advancing women’s health, and
    8         WHEREAS, uterine fibroids, clinically known as uterine
    9  leiomyoma, are the most common benign tumors in the uterus, and
   10         WHEREAS, three out of four women will have uterine fibroids
   11  during their lives, one in four women will experience symptoms
   12  severe enough to require medical intervention, and up to 80
   13  percent of women by age 50 will be affected by uterine fibroids,
   14  and
   15         WHEREAS, African American women experience uterine fibroids
   16  at a rate three to five times that of the general population, a
   17  higher rate than any other ethnic group, and
   18         WHEREAS, in the United States, uterine fibroids are the
   19  leading cause of hysterectomy and, consequently, the loss of
   20  reproductive potential, and nearly half of all hysterectomies
   21  are performed to address uterine fibroids, and
   22         WHEREAS, according to the National Uterine Fibroids
   23  Foundation, Florida ranks 23rd in the nation in the frequency of
   24  hysterectomies, and
   25         WHEREAS, in the United States, more than $5 billion is
   26  spent annually on the medical expense of hysterectomy
   27  procedures, and about 144 million work hours are lost due to the
   28  procedures, and
   29         WHEREAS, the establishment of health seminars, funding
   30  opportunities, medical information panels, and community
   31  programs would empower and inform residents of this state about
   32  uterine fibroids and would encourage earlier diagnosis, more
   33  research, better treatment options, and eventually a cure for
   34  uterine fibroids, NOW, THEREFORE,
   35  
   36  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   37  
   38         That July 2015 is recognized as “Fibroid Awareness Month”
   39  in the State of Florida.