Declare Scoliosis Awareness Month

Senate Resolution No. 2814 BY: Senator STEWART-COUSINS MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim June 2017, as Scoliosis Awareness Month in the State of New York WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize official months set aside to increase awareness of serious issues which affect the lives of citizens of New York State; and WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-standing traditions, it is the sense of this Legislative Body to memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim June 2017, as Scoliosis Awareness Month in the State of New York, in conjunction with the observance of National Scoliosis Awareness Month; and WHEREAS, Scoliosis is the most common deformity of the spine, with no known cause; the condition causes the spine to abnormally curve sideways, into an "S" or "C" shape; it affects two to three percent of the population, or seven million people in the United States; and WHEREAS, Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 10 and 15 although people of any age can be afflicted with this disorder; and WHEREAS, Approximately one out of every six children diagnosed with scoliosis has a curve which requires active treatment, sometimes involving surgery; females are five times more likely to progress to a curve magnitude which requires treatment; and WHEREAS, Scoliosis can cause chronic back pain, impact heart and lung function, and take a toll on a patient's self-esteem; with community awareness, early detection and proper treatment, people diagnosed with scoliosis can lead healthy, active lives; and WHEREAS, In September of 2013, a NIH-funded study, the "Bracing Results in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Trial (BRAIST)," was published in the New England Journal of Medicine; the results of this study affirmed the efficacy of bracing for scoliosis and the need for early detection of scoliosis; and WHEREAS, The BRAIST study conclusively demonstrated that early detection and treatment of scoliosis with bracing, in appropriately indicated patients, will result in less surgery with the potential for reduced cost to society; and WHEREAS, Scoliosis Awareness Month encourages a renewed commitment to raising awareness of and combating the spinal condition of Scoliosis, and to recognize the need for increased research and funding to reduce the pain and suffering it causes to millions of Americans; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim June 2017, as Scoliosis Awareness Month in the State of New York; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New York.