Florida Senate - 2011                             (NP)    SR 184
       
       
       
       By Senator Hill
       
       
       
       
       1-00223-11                                             2011184__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution recognizing May 12, 2011, as
    3         “Fibromyalgia Awareness Day” in Florida.
    4  
    5         WHEREAS, an estimated 10 million people in the United
    6  States and millions of people worldwide have been diagnosed as
    7  having fibromyalgia, a disease for which there is no known cause
    8  or cure, and
    9         WHEREAS, it often takes an average of 5 years to receive a
   10  diagnosis of fibromyalgia, and medical professionals frequently
   11  are inadequately educated on the diagnosis and treatment of
   12  fibromyalgia, and
   13         WHEREAS, fibromyalgia is a chronic pain disorder that is
   14  becoming an increasingly common diagnosis and taking a toll
   15  emotionally, financially, and socially on patients and their
   16  family, friends, coworkers, and communities, and
   17         WHEREAS, fibromyalgia is a life-altering diagnosis,
   18  preventing patients from contributing to society at the level
   19  they once did because of myriad symptoms that come and go
   20  unpredictably and vary in severity, and
   21         WHEREAS, the chronically ill place a larger burden on the
   22  health care and insurance systems and on employers due to the
   23  costs associated with treatment, medications, and sometimes
   24  hospitalizations associated with the disorder, and
   25         WHEREAS, society as a whole is also affected when patients
   26  are physically unable to work and must depend on government
   27  assistance in order to survive, and
   28         WHEREAS, increased awareness and expanded knowledge of the
   29  realities of fibromyalgia will allow the community at large to
   30  better support patients who struggle with the challenges of this
   31  chronic pain disorder, as well as their families, friends,
   32  coworkers, and employers, and
   33         WHEREAS, the National Fibromyalgia Association is a
   34  nonprofit charitable organization and the publisher of
   35  Fibromyalgia AWARE, the first and only consumer magazine that
   36  covers fibromyalgia, and
   37         WHEREAS, the National Fibromyalgia Association, the Fibro
   38  Chronic Babes of Jacksonville, and other groups around the
   39  country have joined together to promote fibromyalgia awareness
   40  and support, including improved education, diagnosis, research,
   41  and treatment, and
   42         WHEREAS, the National Fibromyalgia Association is urging
   43  fibromyalgia patients and their supporters, health care
   44  providers, and the public to join its efforts on or around May
   45  12, 2011, to walk for a solution in their community or
   46  participate in an effort to bring awareness to the far-reaching
   47  effects of fibromyalgia, NOW, THEREFORE,
   48  
   49  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   50  
   51         That May 12, 2011, is recognized as “Fibromyalgia Awareness
   52  Day” in Florida, and the Senate urges all Floridians to support
   53  the search for a cure and assist individuals and families in
   54  dealing with this disorder.