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A JOINT MEMORIAL

URGING THE STATE TO SUPPORT RESEARCH ON CAVERNOUS ANGIOMA, A

DISEASE THAT DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTS HISPANIC NEW MEXICANS.

WHEREAS, cavernous angioma is a devastating blood

disease that has enormous consequences for those affected and

their families; and

WHEREAS, cavernous angiomas are formations in the brain

that cannot be detected easily except through very specific

medical scans; and

WHEREAS, cavernous angiomas appear to be passed from one

generation to the next; and

WHEREAS, those with a cavernous angioma should not take

blood thinners or aspirin, but are rarely aware that they have

the disease; and

WHEREAS, cavernous angiomas are more common in New

Mexico than elsewhere because of the concentration of

families; and

WHEREAS, a person with a cavernous angioma may go

undiagnosed until sudden death or stroke;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE

STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the department of health, human

services department and the board of regents of the university

of New Mexico be requested to appoint a committee to study

funding levels and new sources of funding to support research

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on cavernous angioma; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the committee devise

educational campaigns that use the resources available to

government agencies and hospitals to inform New Mexicans of

the dangers and warning signs of cavernous angioma; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the committee report to the

interim legislative health and human services committee about

its findings and its educational efforts by November 2008; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be

transmitted to the department of health, the human services

department and the board of regents of the university of New

Mexico.