House Resolution 120 - Introduced HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 120 BY L. MILLER A Resolution recognizing November 2012 as COPD 1 Awareness Month. 2 WHEREAS, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 3 (COPD) is a term used to describe airflow obstruction 4 that is associated mainly with emphysema and chronic 5 bronchitis; and 6 WHEREAS, COPD affects an estimated 24 million people 7 and kills more than 120,000 Americans every year, with 8 an average of one person dying from COPD every four 9 minutes, an alarming statistic for a disease many have 10 never heard of; and 11 WHEREAS, in 2008 COPD became the third leading cause 12 of death in the United States; and 13 WHEREAS, pulmonary experts predict that by the year 14 2020, COPD will become the leading cause of death 15 worldwide; and 16 WHEREAS, COPD currently accounts for 1.5 million 17 emergency department visits, 726,000 hospitalizations, 18 and 8 million physician office and hospital outpatient 19 visits, all of which are a detriment to the U.S. 20 economy, costing the nation an estimated $49.9 billion 21 in direct and indirect medical costs annually; and 22 WHEREAS, in 2007 and 2008, 3,452 Iowans 45 years of 23 age and older died from COPD; and 24 WHEREAS, between 2006 and 2008, COPD 25 hospitalizations in Iowa rose from a rate of 4.4 26 per 1,000 to 4.9 per 1,000, with the average 27 hospitalization for COPD costing $12,938, excluding 28 -1- LSB 6052HH (7) 84 jr/nh 1/ 3

H.R. 120 professional fees, in 2008; and 1 WHEREAS, the American Lung Association in Iowa is 2 implementing the Iowa COPD Strategic Plan, a statewide 3 effort to increase early detection, improve care and 4 treatment, and prevent and reduce the prevalence of the 5 disease; and 6 WHEREAS, research has identified a hereditary 7 protein deficiency called Alpha-1 Antitrypsin which 8 predisposes people to developing COPD, even without 9 exposure to smoking or environmental triggers; and 10 WHEREAS, recently the death rate for women with COPD 11 has surpassed the death rate of men with COPD, with 12 women over the age of 40 being the fastest-growing 13 segment of the population developing this irreversible 14 disease, due in large part to the equalization of 15 opportunities for men and women to smoke over the past 16 several generations; and 17 WHEREAS, spirometry testing and medical treatments 18 exist to address symptom relief and possibly slow the 19 progression of the disease, but there is currently no 20 cure for COPD; and 21 WHEREAS, until there is a cure, the best approaches 22 to preventing COPD and its considerable health, 23 societal, and mortality impacts lie with education, 24 awareness, and expanded delivery of detection and 25 management protocols; NOW THEREFORE, 26 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 27 That the House of Representatives recognizes the month 28 of November 2012 as COPD Awareness Month in the State 29 of Iowa in recognition of this deadly disease and its 30 -2- LSB 6052HH (7) 84 jr/nh 2/ 3