PRINTER'S NO. 3468

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE RESOLUTION

No.

896

Session of

2018

INTRODUCED BY VAZQUEZ, HENNESSEY, HILL-EVANS, NEILSON,

DiGIROLAMO, TOOHIL, SAINATO, DONATUCCI, READSHAW, BIZZARRO,

WARD, SCHLOSSBERG, LONGIETTI, MACKENZIE, R. BROWN, RYAN,

Designating the month of May 2018 as "Asthma Awareness Month" in

Pennsylvania.

WHEREAS, Asthma is a chronic lung disease that inflames and

narrows the airways, causing recurring periods of wheezing,

chest tightness, shortness of breath and coughing; and

WHEREAS, Asthma is known to affect more than 25 million

Americans, including 7 million children, and often first appears

during early childhood; and

WHEREAS, In this Commonwealth, more than 955,000 adults and

more than 269,000 children currently suffer from asthma; and

and environmental factors, and individuals with a family history

of asthma or allergies are more prone to developing the disease;

and

WHEREAS, Asthma is a long-term disease for which there is no

cure, but education and proper medical care have helped many

patients reduce the severity of symptoms and costs associated

with asthma; and

WHEREAS, Treating asthma symptoms early is critical to ensure

that the symptoms do not worsen and cause a severe asthma attack

that may require emergency medical care or become fatal; and

WHEREAS, The Asthma Control Program, created by the

Department of Health and the Pennsylvania Asthma Partnership,

continues to enhance outreach efforts across this Commonwealth

in order to improve asthma self-management strategies, increase

preventive measures, reduce environmental triggers and provide

resources to asthma patients and their families; and

WHEREAS, It is important that residents of this Commonwealth

join efforts to increase awareness of asthma and support the

asthma community in reducing asthma prevalence, morbidity and

mortality, as well as ensuring that all individuals with asthma