SR0255 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0255 LRB096 12627 GRL 26061 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, MRSA is an acronym for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, also known as the "superbug"; MRSA can cause deadly infections in patients in healthcare facilities and within our communities; and

WHEREAS, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have estimated that hospital-acquired MRSA infections alone killed more than 100,000 U.S. residents in 2006; and

WHEREAS, Consumers Advancing Patient Safety (CAPS), among many other leading consumer healthcare organizations and patient advocates around the globe, are lending their voices to the call of world unity in leadership and commitment in preventing and stopping MRSA, which is pandemic and rising at alarming rates within healthcare facilities and in our communities; the groups also call upon healthcare officials and leaders to step up and take a more comprehensive approach to eradicate this preventable disease and focus on a broad and pro-active prevention program; and

WHEREAS, As an integral part of its multi-faceted program, the MRSA Survivors Network, the first consumer organization in the U.S. to raise the alarm concerning the MRSA epidemic and other multi-drug resistant healthcare-acquired infections, has announced "World MRSA Day", which will be held on October 2, 2009 and commemorated each year after on this date; in addition, the month of October will also be designated "MRSA Awareness Month" in order to call attention to this worldwide epidemic; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we designate October 2, 2009 as "World MRSA Day" in the State of Illinois; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the MRSA Survivors Network as a symbol of our dedication to the fight against this epidemic.