Bill Text: NY K02280 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Memorializing Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim May 2024, as Celiac Disease Awareness Month in the State of New York

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Passed) 2024-05-28 - adopted [K02280 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-K02280-Introduced.html

---

Assembly Resolution No. 2280

BY: M. of A. Rules (Sillitti)

        MEMORIALIZING  Governor  Kathy  Hochul to proclaim
        May 2024, as Celiac Disease Awareness Month  in  the
        State of New York

  WHEREAS,  It  is  the  sense of this Legislative Body to memorialize
Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim May 2024, as Celiac Disease  Awareness
Month in the State of New York; and

  WHEREAS,  Celiac  disease  affects  approximately  one  in every 133
people in the United States, for a total of 3,000,000 people,  including
nearly  130,000  in  New  York State; the majority of people with celiac
disease have yet to be diagnosed; and

  WHEREAS, Celiac disease is an inherited, autoimmune disease in which
the lining of the small intestine is  damaged  from  eating  gluten  and
other  proteins  found  in  wheat,  barley, rye, and possibly oats; this
particular condition results in overall malnutrition; and

  WHEREAS, Celiac disease is co-morbid with many autoimmune disorders,
including  thyroid  disease,  systemic  lupus  erythematosus,   type   1
diabetes,   liver   disease,   collagen   vascular  disease,  rheumatoid
arthritis, and Sjogren's syndrome; and

  WHEREAS,  The  exact  cause  of  celiac  disease  is  unknown;   the
intestines  contain  projections  (called villi) which absorb nutrients,
and in undiagnosed or untreated cases,  these  villi  become  flattened,
which  affects the ability to absorb nutrients properly; the disease can
develop at any point in life, from infancy to late adulthood; and

  WHEREAS,  For  treatment,  a  lifelong  gluten-free  diet  must   be
attained;  foods, beverages, and medications that contain wheat, barley,
rye, and possibly oats must be eliminated in order  for  the  intestinal
villi to heal; and

  WHEREAS,  When  untreated, celiac disease can cause life-threatening
complications; 97 percent of cases remain undiagnosed  and  the  average
cost  of  an  undiagnosed case is between $5,000 and $12,000 per person;
based on these estimates, undiagnosed celiac disease  is  conservatively
costing  New  York  State  residents  more than $725 million annually in
unnecessary medical bills; and

  WHEREAS, Delaying diagnosis or not following the diet  puts  one  at
risk for related conditions such as: autoimmune disorders, certain types
of   intestinal   cancer,   fractures,   infertility,  miscarriage,  and
osteoporosis; and

  WHEREAS, Through public awareness, this Legislative  Body  seeks  to
minimize  the  devastating  effects  of  celiac  disease  among  all the
citizens of the State of New York; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its  deliberations  to
memorialize  Governor  Kathy  Hochul  to  proclaim  May  2024, as Celiac
Disease Awareness Month 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.