Bill Text: VA SJR66 | 2022 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Malnutrition Awareness Week; designating as1st week in Oct. 2022 & each succeeding year thereafter.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2022-03-08 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ66ER) [SJR66 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2022-SJR66-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, many experts agree that nutrition status is a direct measure of patient health and that good nutrition can increase wellness and reduce health care costs, which can range up to $49 billion annually for hospital stays involving malnutrition; and
WHEREAS, inadequate or unbalanced nutrition, known as malnutrition, is particularly prevalent in vulnerable populations, such as hospitalized patients, older adults, and people in underserved communities; these populations also shoulder the highest statistical incidences of the most severe chronic illnesses such as diabetes, kidney disease, cancer, and cardiovascular disease; and
WHEREAS, malnutrition can result in the loss of lean body mass, leading to complications that affect good patient health outcomes, including recovery from an unrelated surgery, illness, injury, or disease; and
WHEREAS, Enhanced Recovery After Surgery care plans implemented by a team of multidisciplinary health care professionals can improve patient nutrition to support a strong recovery and help reduce risk of complications from surgeries; and
WHEREAS, the effects of malnutrition have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has intensified disparities and social isolation for older adults, which is further compounded by food insecurity across many communities; and
WHEREAS, despite the recognized link between good nutrition and good health, nutrition screening and intervention have not been systematically incorporated across the continuum of care; and
WHEREAS, clinical quality measures can help improve nutrition screening and intervention, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has approved multiple malnutrition-specific clinical quality measures for two CMS-qualified clinical data registries; and
WHEREAS, federal legislation has allocated supplemental funding for federal community nutrition programs but additional local, state, and national resources are necessary to properly address malnutrition; and
WHEREAS, a collaborative effort among key stakeholders in the public and private sectors is required to increase awareness of the dangers of and to prevent malnutrition, and the National Blueprint: Achieving Quality Malnutrition Care for Older Adults, 2020 Update serves as a template for such collaboration; and
WHEREAS, in 2012, the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition established Malnutrition Awareness Week as a multi-organization awareness campaign to increase understanding about the dangers of malnutrition and increase support for critical intervention and treatment options; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly designate the first week in October, in 2022 and in each succeeding year, as Malnutrition Awareness Week in Virginia; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate transmit a copy of this resolution to the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition 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 Senate post the designation of this week on the General Assembly's website.
