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RECOGNIZING HYDROCEPHALUS AWARENESS MONTH
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HON. LLOYD DOGGETT
of texas
in the house of representatives
Friday, September 3, 2021
Mr. DOGGETT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Hydrocephalus Awareness Month. Every September patients, caregivers, and their families come together throughout our Nation in support of the more than 1,000,000 people of all ages living with hydrocephalus in the United States.
As co-chair of the Congressional Pediatric and Adult Hydrocephalus Caucus, I believe Congress has an important role to play in both raising awareness of this condition, as well as in crafting policies that result in better treatments and potentially a cure. I urge my colleagues to join the caucus to learn more about this devastating condition. In addition, I urge you to join Representative Chris Smith and I in showing your support for this community by cosponsoring our resolution, H. Res. 20, which supports the goals and ideals of National Hydrocephalus Awareness Month.
Anyone can develop hydrocephalus, an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain, at any time. From children to veterans, the breathtaking prevalence of this condition is reflected in my own district. For example, the physicians and staff at the Children's Hospital of San Antonio perform the brain surgeries necessary to treat many of the one in 770 babies across the country who develop hydrocephalus per year. Nationwide, these cases alone cost the U.S. health care system $2 billion per year.
Veterans and active military personnel, such as those stationed at Joint Base San Antonio, are also disproportionally affected. Since 2000, more than 370,000 U.S. service members have sustained a traumatic brain injury, and it is estimated that 14 percent of those individuals with severe TBI--over 50,000 service members--could develop hydrocephalus as a result.
I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing Hydrocephalus Awareness Month and, more importantly, their constituents, by joining the Congressional Pediatric and Hydrocephalus Caucus and cosponsoring H. Res. 20.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 153
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