Senate Resolution 117 - Introduced

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  1  1                SENATE RESOLUTION NO.    
  1  2                  BY  GASKILL and BEALL
  1  3 A Resolution to designate the month of June 2006 as Prostate
  1  4    Cancer Awareness Month and to encourage all health
  1  5    benefit plan providers to include annual screening
  1  6    for prostate cancer as part of their coverage.
  1  7    WHEREAS, over 200,000 men in the United States will
  1  8 be diagnosed with prostate cancer each year; and
  1  9    WHEREAS, the purpose of screening for cancer is to
  1 10 detect the cancer at its earliest stages, before any
  1 11 symptoms have developed; and
  1 12    WHEREAS, screening for prostate cancer can be
  1 13 performed quickly and easily in a physician's office
  1 14 using two tests:  the prostate specific antigen blood
  1 15 test and the digital rectal examination; and
  1 16    WHEREAS, when caught and treated early, prostate
  1 17 cancer has a cure rate of over 90 percent; and
  1 18    WHEREAS, the American Cancer Society recommends
  1 19 that both the test and the examination should be
  1 20 offered annually, and depending on individual
  1 21 circumstances this testing should begin as early as 40
  1 22 years of age for certain high=risk men; NOW THEREFORE,
  1 23    BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, That the Senate
  1 24 designates the month of June 2006 as Prostate Cancer
  1 25 Awareness Month and encourages all health benefit plan
  1 26 providers to include annual screening for prostate
  1 27 cancer for men over 40 years of age as part of their
  1 28 coverage package, in accordance with the early
  1 29 detection guidelines of the National Comprehensive
  1 30 Cancer Network.
  2  1 LSB 6511SS 81
  2  2 jr:nh/je/5