Bill Text: VA HJR13 | 2024 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Month of Awareness.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2024-02-27 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ13ER) [HJR13 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2024-HJR13-Amended.html
WHEREAS, progressive supranuclear palsy, also known as PSP, is a neurodegenerative disease affecting the brain cells, particularly in areas that control mobility, balance, walking, speech, swallowing, vision, behavior, and cognitive abilities; and
WHEREAS, while estimates vary and are often undercounted and misdiagnosed, more than 20,000 Americans are diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy in the United States; and
WHEREAS, on average, symptoms manifest after age 60 and can have a severe impact on an individual's quality of life; and
WHEREAS, there is currently no known effective treatment, no known cure, and no known cause of progressive supranuclear palsy; some symptoms may be managed with medication and care, but the lack of understanding about the disease has often led to misdiagnosis, which has in turn caused significant delays in proper intervention and hindered clinical trials; and
WHEREAS, the National Institutes of Health has made strides in the understanding and treatment of progressive supranuclear palsy; and
WHEREAS, it is vital to continue supporting research on progressive supranuclear palsy, as people with the disease can become severely disabled within three to five years of the first onset of symptoms; and
WHEREAS, CurePSP is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness and promoting care programs and cure research for progressive supranuclear palsy and two other neurodegenerative diseases: corticobasal degeneration and multiple system atrophy; and
WHEREAS, in September 2023, United States Representative Jennifer Wexton, a friend and former colleague who previously served in the Senate of Virginia, announced that she had been diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy; and
WHEREAS, like many individuals with progressive supranuclear palsy, Congresswoman Wexton was initially diagnosed with Parkinson's disease; she is courageously fighting the disease and has pledged to amplify the voices of those suffering from progressive supranuclear palsy and to raise awareness of the disease both among members of the public and in the health care community; and
WHEREAS, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Month of Awareness provides an opportunity for all Virginians to learn more about progressive supranuclear palsy and seek ways to support research into treatment and cures or to provide hope and assistance to people living with the disease and their families; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly designate May, in 2024 and in each succeeding year, as Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Month of Awareness in Virginia; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates transmit a copy of this resolution to CurePSP so that members of the organization may be apprised of the sense of the General Assembly of Virginia in this matter; and, be it
RESOLVED FINALLY, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates post the designation of this month on the General Assembly's website.
