Bill Text: NY J02071 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Memorializing Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim May 17, 2024, as Necrotizing Enterocolitis Awareness Day in the State of New York

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 41-21)

Status: (Passed) 2024-04-03 - ADOPTED [J02071 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-J02071-Introduced.html

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Senate Resolution No. 2071

BY: Senator RHOADS

        MEMORIALIZING  Governor  Kathy  Hochul to proclaim
        May 17, 2024, as Necrotizing Enterocolitis Awareness
        Day in the State of New York

  WHEREAS, It is the custom of  this  Legislative  Body  to  recognize
official days that are set aside to increase awareness of serious health
issues that affect the lives of families in the State of New York; and

  WHEREAS,  Attendant  to  such  concern,  and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this  Legislative  Body  is  justly  proud  to
memorialize  Governor  Kathy Hochul to proclaim Friday, May 17, 2024, as
Necrotizing Enterocolitis Awareness Day in the State of New York; and

  WHEREAS, Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the most common cause of
death in hospitalized premature infants after two weeks of age; and

  WHEREAS, Babies born prematurely or with a medical complication like
congenital heart disease are most at risk of NEC; and

  WHEREAS, Thousands of babies develop NEC each year and  hundreds  of
babies die from this complex intestinal condition; and

  WHEREAS,  Necrotizing  enterocolitis  causes  a  severe inflammatory
process that can lead to intestinal tissue damage and death; once NEC is
diagnosed, many babies only live for a few hours or days; and

  WHEREAS, Surgery for NEC is not curative, and the babies who survive
often have lifelong neurological and nutritional complications; and

  WHEREAS,  Necrotizing   enterocolitis   results   in   approximately
$5,000,000,000  dollars of hospitalization expenses per year and roughly
19 percent of neonatal healthcare expenditures  in  the  United  States,
with  an  estimated  cost  of $200,000 or more for each case of surgical
necrotizing enterocolitis; and

  WHEREAS, Breast milk is one of  the  most  effective  ways  to  help
prevent necrotizing enterocolitis in medically fragile infants, and when
the  mother's  milk  is unavailable, pasteurized donor human milk is the
next-safest option for babies at risk of NEC; and

  WHEREAS, Formula does  not  protect  against  the  risk  of  NEC  in
medically  fragile  infants, and infants at risk of NEC receive the most
protection from their mother's own milk and pasteurized donor milk; and

  WHEREAS, Although the risk of necrotizing  enterocolitis  cannot  be
fully  eliminated  and  there are not yet sure ways to stop or cure NEC,
preventative measures are effective at reducing risks; and

  WHEREAS, Parents must be trusted and valued as  the  most  important
member  of  their  baby's  care  team,  and  healthcare providers should
partner with families to provide the best care for infants  at  risk  of
NEC; and

  WHEREAS, This illness affects citizens across this State and Nation;
Stephanie Ruidiaz is one such resident living in Bellmore, New York; she
has  been  a  champion  for Necrotizing enterocolitis after experiencing
firsthand the severity of this condition and after facing a  devastating
loss herself; and

  WHEREAS, She serves on the Board of Directors for the NEC Society, a
nonprofit  organization  which  works  to eliminate the disease, pouring
every ounce of herself into raising awareness of this  necessary  cause;
and

  WHEREAS,  Necrotizing  enterocolitis  can  develop in both premature
babies and babies born at term and more data is  desperately  needed  to
better  understand  how  and why NEC occurs in preterm and term infants;
and

  WHEREAS, Disparities and variation in care  lead  to  Black  infants
being  disproportionately  affected  by,  and  dying  from,  necrotizing
enterocolitis compared to white infants; and

  WHEREAS, The NEC  Society  is  a  501(c)(3)  nonprofit  organization
founded and led by a bereaved mother from California whose son died from
complications of NEC, and the NEC Society is the world's leading charity
working to accelerate NEC research, education, and advocacy; and

  WHEREAS,  To  build  a  world  without necrotizing enterocolitis and
improve outcomes for infants and families, we  must  bring  New  Yorkers
together  to  raise  awareness  about this devastating neonatal disease;
now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its  deliberations  to
memorialize   Governor  Kathy  Hochul  to  proclaim  May  17,  2024,  as
Necrotizing Enterocolitis Awareness Day in the State of New York; and be
it further

  RESOLVED, That copies of this  Resolution,  suitably  engrossed,  be
transmitted  to the Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York, and the NEC Society.