THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

76

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH to ESTABLISH A coordinated STATEWIDE effort to address Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

 

 

WHEREAS, alcohol is the most powerful legal teratogen that is frequently used in our society; and

WHEREAS, alcohol consumption during pregnancy can cause Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), resulting in lifelong damage to an unborn child who is exposed in utero to it; and

WHEREAS, many women at risk for bearing a child with FASD are unaware of the risk; and

WHEREAS, women who abuse alcohol may be undiagnosed and fail in traditional treatment systems; and

WHEREAS, eighty-five cases of FASD have been documented and reported to Hawaii's birth defects registry since 1986; and

WHEREAS, children with FASD may be undiagnosed or misdiagnosed; and

WHEREAS, FASD is totally preventable, and the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure last a lifetime; and

WHEREAS, Department of Health (DOH) data from 2001 on pregnant women indicates that almost forty-two percent of pregnant women surveyed consumed alcohol prior to becoming pregnant, and almost five percent indicated that they consumed alcohol during pregnancy; and

WHEREAS, information from a DOH behavioral risk prevalence survey shows that almost eight-two percent of the women surveyed consumed alcohol one month prior to the survey, and almost four percent indicated that they engage in binge drinking; and

WHEREAS, because FASD can occur in any community where women drink alcohol during pregnancy, it is a statewide public health concern; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, the House of Representatives concurring, that the DOH is requested to establish a coordinated statewide effort to address FASD; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the coordinated statewide effort should include but not be limited to the following topics:

(1) Public awareness aimed at the general public, including awareness targeted at high-risk populations, the medical community, as well as public education on how to prevent FASD;

(2) Professional education to teach professionals about FASD so they can recognize and identify FASD for referrals to diagnose, treat, and intervene, and teaching professionals to diagnose and screen and intervene using effective techniques;

(3) Screening high-risk populations, including both women of childbearing age and children already affected;

(4) Diagnosing high-risk populations, including children already affected and women at risk;

(5) Surveillance and data, including collecting and analyzing prevalence and incidence statistics to help define and describe the problem; and

(6) Intervening with high-risk populations, including treating women of childbearing age to reduce and eliminate the risk of an alcohol-exposed pregnancy and preventing secondary conditions in children already affected by FASD; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the DOH is requested to submit a report to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2005, describing its progress in establishing a coordinated statewide system addressing the above areas; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health.

Report Title:

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder