Declare Asthma Awareness Month

Assembly Resolution No. 516 BY: M. of A. Paulin MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim May 2025, as Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month in the State of New York WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize official months that are set aside to increase awareness of serious health issues that affect the lives of citizens of New York State; and WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim May 2025, as Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month in the State of New York, in conjunction with the observance of National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month; and WHEREAS, Each year, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) declares May as National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month since it is peak season for those suffering from asthma and allergies; and WHEREAS, Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month is a perfect time to educate people about these common diseases; and WHEREAS, There is no cure for asthma and allergies, and many deaths are preventable with proper treatment and care; 10 people a day die from asthma; and WHEREAS, About 4,900,000 children in the United States currently have asthma; and WHEREAS, Nearly 28 million people in the United States have asthma and the numbers are increasing each year; and WHEREAS, Over 1,819,528 adults and children in the State of New York have asthma; and WHEREAS, Asthma is one of the most common noncommunicable diseases among children; and WHEREAS, 1,500,000 individuals per year visit emergency departments because of asthma's effects; and WHEREAS, Asthma is a leading cause of hospitalizations and school absences due to a chronic disease among children; and WHEREAS, The total economic cost of asthma in the United States was $81,900,000,000 per year from 2008 to 2013; and WHEREAS, Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous individuals in the United States face the highest burden of asthma; and WHEREAS, Asthma is a manageable disease that claimed the lives of over 3,500 people in the United States in 2021, including 248 people in New York; and WHEREAS, People with asthma and food allergies need access to affordable health insurance and to the medications and devices they need at affordable prices; and WHEREAS, 20,300,000 people in the United States have food allergies, including about 4,300,000 children; and WHEREAS, Food allergy has increased among U.S. children over the past 20 years, with the greatest increase in Black children; further, children with food allergies are two to four times more likely to have asthma or other allergic diseases; and WHEREAS, This Legislative Body, representing the people of the State of New York, supports the increase in public awareness regarding asthma and allergies; it is important to help educate all citizens of the State of New York of the serious and potentially life-threatening nature of asthma and allergies; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim May 2025, as Asthma and Allergy 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 Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New York.