Florida Senate - 2026                            (NP)    SR 1784
       
       
        
       By Senator Brodeur
       
       
       
       
       
       10-02278A-26                                          20261784__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution designating May 2026 as “PSP Awareness
    3         Month” in Florida and recognizing the commitment of
    4         patients, their families, and health care professions
    5         to increase awareness and research regarding
    6         progressive supranuclear palsy and other
    7         neurodegenerative diseases.
    8  
    9         WHEREAS, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is one of
   10  many neurodegenerative brain disorders affecting the aging
   11  population, causing progressive gait and balance difficulties,
   12  frequent falls, ocular impairment, slow or stiff movement,
   13  slurred speech, mood or behavioral changes, and cognitive
   14  decline, and
   15         WHEREAS, PSP is one of the most common forms of atypical
   16  parkinsonism, based on more than 20 studies, with an estimated
   17  prevalence in Florida of approximately 7 cases per 100,000
   18  residents from 2015 to 2023, and the mean age of onset is
   19  typically between 63 and 67 years of age, and
   20         WHEREAS, neurodegenerative diseases include Alzheimer’s
   21  disease; Parkinson’s disease; Huntington’s disease; amyotrophic
   22  lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease; and
   23  other disorders and forms of dementia, and
   24         WHEREAS, in 2024, the Legislature passed CS/SB 186, the
   25  “Justo R. Cortes Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Act,” which
   26  directed the State Surgeon General to establish a policy
   27  committee on PSP and other neurodegenerative diseases and to
   28  have the committee submit a report of its findings to Governor
   29  Ron DeSantis and the Legislature by January 4, 2026, and
   30         WHEREAS, the policy committee’s findings include an
   31  estimated direct medical cost for PSP in the United States of
   32  $25.4 billion per year, along with estimated indirect and
   33  nonmedical costs of $26.5 billion annually for such things as
   34  missed work, lost wages, forced early retirement, and family
   35  caregiver time, and
   36         WHEREAS, PSP and Parkinson’s disease share similar
   37  symptoms, resulting in misdiagnosis and potential delay in
   38  critical care and support, and the policy committee concluded
   39  that identification and early diagnosis of these disorders is
   40  vital, and
   41         WHEREAS, patients with these neurodegenerative diseases
   42  have complex needs that require a multidisciplinary approach to
   43  care involving physicians, nurses, rehabilitation specialists,
   44  allied health providers, and caregivers, and
   45         WHEREAS, the policy committee recommendations include
   46  addressing the need to identify risk factors that would aid in
   47  detection of the diseases, understanding how the diseases impact
   48  residents, developing the standards of care necessary for
   49  effective treatment, and crafting policy recommendations to help
   50  improve patient and caregiver awareness of PSP and other
   51  neurodegenerative diseases, and
   52         WHEREAS, progress in addressing the devastating impact of
   53  PSP and related conditions depends upon increasing the public’s
   54  awareness of the diseases, as well as public health initiatives
   55  to educate individuals about early symptoms, promoting more
   56  intensive research efforts, and educating health care
   57  practitioners on recognizing signs and symptoms related to PSP
   58  and similar disorders, NOW, THEREFORE,
   59  
   60  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   61  
   62         That the Senate designates May 2026 as “PSP Awareness
   63  Month” in Florida and recognizes the commitment of patients,
   64  their families, and health care professions to increase
   65  awareness and research regarding progressive supranuclear palsy
   66  and other neurodegenerative diseases.