HOUSE MEMORIAL 16

49th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2009

INTRODUCED BY

Gail Chasey

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO COLLABORATE WITH THE PUBLIC EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TO EXAMINE THE ADEQUACY OF CURRENT PRACTICES FOR ENSURING THE PREVENTIVE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF ADOLESCENTS IN NEW MEXICO.

     WHEREAS, during the transition from childhood to adulthood, adolescents may make poor lifestyle choices that lead to unhealthy patterns of behavior that could have a lasting effect on their health and well-being; and

     WHEREAS, although healthy behaviors, such as eating nutritiously, engaging in physical activity and choosing not to use tobacco, would reduce the incidence of chronic disease in adulthood, adolescents face many factors, including peer pressure, fractured families, school issues and poverty, that challenge their ability to choose such behaviors; and

     WHEREAS, the national association of county and city health officials is an advocate for the development of an adolescent health platform, including health screenings, age-appropriate immunizations, injury prevention, obesity prevention and mental health screenings, in multiple settings, including school-based health centers; and 

     WHEREAS, the American academy of pediatrics, the advisory committee on immunization practices, the American academy of family physicians and the American medical association all endorse a routine health care visit for adolescents aged eleven to twelve to receive recommended immunizations and other evidence-based preventive health care services; and

     WHEREAS, the health resources and services administration of the federal health and human services department has developed, in conjunction with the American academy of pediatrics, the Bright Futures Initiative, a national health promotion and disease prevention initiative that includes a set of guidelines and recommendations regarding immunizations and routine health screenings for adolescents; and

     WHEREAS, the advisory committee on immunization practices recommends the use of United States food and drug administration-approved vaccines for pertussis, tetanus, meningitis and human papillomavirus in adolescents, and the federal centers for disease control and prevention has launched a national campaign to raise public awareness regarding adolescent health and immunizations; and

     WHEREAS, a national immunization survey conducted by the federal centers for disease control and prevention found that immunization coverage levels among adolescents in 2006 did not meet the immunization goals of Healthy People 2010; and

     WHEREAS, parents and parental awareness are very important determinants of adolescents receiving preventive health care services; and

     WHEREAS, the society for adolescent medicine has found that preventive health care services are among the best tools to ensure continued good health from childhood to adulthood, and adolescents who regularly visit a primary care health care provider are less likely to have emergency room visits and preventable hospitalizations;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the department of health be requested to collaborate with the public education department to examine the adequacy of current practices for ensuring the preventive health and well-being of adolescents in New Mexico; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the department of health and the public education department explore avenues to promote immunizations and preventive health care for adolescents, including application of the guidelines developed by the health resources and services administration of the federal health and human services department and the public awareness campaign developed by the federal centers for disease control and prevention; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the secretary of health and the secretary of public education.

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