Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 99 Part 2.djvu/944

 99 STAT. 2054

PROCLAMATION 5342—MAY 17, 1985

this year's Older Americans Month, which is now in progress: "Help Yourself to Independence." The activities sponsored by senior centers are as various and interesting as the citizens who make use of them. Courses on art and literature, discussions of current events, and training sessions on how to use a computer are among the wide variety of events that occur in senior centers. The staffs of these centers are to be commended for their spirit of innovation and their dedication to enhancing the lives of older Americans. Once again, Americans are showing that anything is possible if we have the faith, the will, and the heart. Ante, p. 73.

The Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 60, has designated the week beginning May 12, 1985, through May 18, 1985, as "Senior Center Week" and authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this event. NOW, THEREFORE, I, RONALD REAGAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the week of May 12, 1985, as Senior Center Week, and I call upon the people of the United States to honor older Americans and those local organizations that bring together activities and services for their benefit. . IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this seventeenth day of May, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and ninth. RONALD REAGAN

Proclamation 5342 of May 17, 1985

National Digestive Diseases Awareness Week, 1985 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Digestive diseases rank third in contributing to the total economic burden of illness in the United States. In terms of human discomfort and pain, mortality, and impact on the Nation's economy, they represent one of our most serious health problems. Digestive diseases are the leading cause of hospitalization and surgery in this country, and each day some 200,000 people miss work because of digestive problems. Twenty million Americans are treated for some type of chronic digestive disorder each year, and almost half of the United States population suffers an occasional digestive disorder, creating a yearly expenditure of approximately $17 billion in direct health care costs and a total economic burden of $50 billion. Research into the causes, cures, prevention, and clinical treatment of digestive diseases and related nutrition problems is a national concern. The week of May 12, 1985, marks the second anniversary of the initiation of a national digestive diseases education program. Its goals are to involve the digestive diseases community, including the Coalition of Digestive Disease Organizations, the Federation of Digestive Disease Societies, the National Digestive Diseases Advisory Board, the National Digestive Diseases Education and Information Clearinghouse, and the National Institute of Arthritis, Diabetes, and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, in educating the public and health care practitioners to the seriousness of these diseases and the methods available to prevent, treat, and control them.

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