HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 9

48th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2007

INTRODUCED BY

Jim R. Trujillo

FOR THE LEGISLATIVE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE

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 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.

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