Legislation Document

SPONSOR:	Sen. Buckson & Rep. Baumbach & Rep. Yearick
Sens. Hocker, Lawson, Lockman, S. McBride, Pettyjohn, Sokola, Sturgeon, Townsend, Wilson; Reps. Briggs King, Bush, Chukwuocha, Gray, Hensley, Morrison, Ramone, Michael Smith

DELAWARE STATE SENATE

152nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 26

RECOGNIZING THE MONTH OF APRIL 2023 AS "PARKINSON'S DISEASE AWARENESS MONTH" IN THE STATE OF THE DELAWARE.

WHEREAS, Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic and progressive disease that affects the nervous system and is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the United States; and

WHEREAS, the symptoms of PD can include: tremors, slowed movement, rigid muscles, impaired posture and balance, loss of automatic movements, writing changes, and speech changes; and

WHEREAS, approximately 2,500 Delawareans have been diagnosed with PD according to the Parkinson’s Foundation Prevalence Project in 2014; and

WHEREAS, there are more than 10 million people living with PD worldwide; and

WHEREAS, the cost of PD is estimated to be nearly $52 billion each year in the United States and expected to rise to $80 billion annually by 2037; and

WHEREAS, the average cost of medication is $2,500 pp/year and surgery can cost up to $100,000 per person; and

WHEREAS, the Parkinson’s Foundation estimates that nearly one million people in the U.S. are living with PD, which is more than the combined number of people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, and Lou Gehrig’s disease (or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). This is expected to rise to 1.2 million by 2030; and

WHEREAS, the cause of PD is unknown and there is no current cure for the disease; and

WHEREAS, every April the Parkinson’s Foundation works to raise awareness about the disease; and

WHEREAS, the Parkinson Foundation has invested more than $400 million in PD research and clinical care since 1957; and

WHEREAS, the theme for the 2023 Parkinson’s Disease Awareness month is “#Take6forPD”; and

WHEREAS, the purpose of the theme is a call to action to take 6 minutes to raise Parkinson’s awareness because every 6 minutes, someone will be diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the 152nd General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the House of Representatives concurring therein, that April 2023 is recognized as “Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month” in the State of Delaware.