Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 99 Part 1.djvu/93

 PUBLIC LAW 99-39—MAY 15, 1985

99 STAT. 71

Public Law 99-39 99th Congress Joint Resolution To designate the week beginning May 12, 1985, as "National Digestive Diseases Awareness Week".

Whereas digestive diseases represent one of the most serious health problems of the Nation in terms of human discomfort and pain, mortality, personal expenditures for treatment, and working hours lost; Whereas digestive diseases rank among other forms of illness as the third largest burden on the economy of the Nation; Whereas 20,000,000 Americans suffer from chronic digestive diseases and disorders, and more than 14,000,000 cases of acute digestive diseases are treated in the Nation each year; Whereas digestive diseases account for one-third of all malignant growths and for some of the most common acute infections; Whereas more Americans are hospitalized with digestive diseases than with any other form of illness; Whereas digestive diseases account for 25 percent of all surgical operations and comprise one of the most common causes of disability in the working force; Whereas digestive diseases represent more than $17,000,000,000 annually in direct health care costs and represent a total economic burden of almost $50,000,000,000 annually; Whereas more than 200 deaths annually are caused by each of at least 100 different diseases and disorders of the gastrointestinal tract; Whereas the people of the Nation should be concerned with research into the causes, cures, prevention, and clinical treatment of digestive diseases and related nutrition problems and should recognize prevention and treatment of digestive diseases as a major health priority; Whereas national lay and professional digestive diseases organizations, individually and through the Coalition of Digestive Diseases Organizations and the Federation of Digestive Diseases Societies, are committed to promoting awareness and understanding, among members of the general public and the health care community, of digestive tract disorders; Whereas the National Digestive Diseases Advisory Board, and the National Institutes of Health through its National Digestive Diseases Education and Information Clearinghouse, are committed to encourage and coordinate these educational efforts; Whereas the National Digestive Diseases Education Program is a coordinated effort to educate the public and the health care community as to the seriousness of digestive diseases and to provide information on treatment, prevention, and control; and Whereas the second anniversary of the National Digestive Diseases Education Program occurs during the week beginning May 12, 1985: Now, therefore, be it

May 15, 1985 [S.J. Res. 94]

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