2017-2018 Bill 311: Eating Disorders Awareness Week - South Carolina Legislature Online

1 South Carolina General Assembly 2 122nd Session, 2017-2018 3 4 S. 311 5 6 STATUS INFORMATION 7 8 Senate Resolution 9 Sponsors: Senators Shealy and McLeod 10 Document Path: l:\council\bills\rm\1073vr17.docx 11 12 Introduced in the Senate on January 25, 2017 13 Adopted by the Senate on February 28, 2017 14 15 Summary: Eating Disorders Awareness Week 16 17 18 HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS 19 20 Date Body Action Description with journal page number 21 1/25/2017 Senate Introduced ( Senate Journalpage 12) 22 1/25/2017 Senate Referred to Committee on Medical Affairs ( Senate Journalpage 12) 23 2/23/2017 Senate Recalled from Committee on Medical Affairs ( Senate Journalpage 4) 24 2/28/2017 Senate Adopted ( Senate Journalpage 36) 25 26 View the latest legislative information at the website 27 28 29 VERSIONS OF THIS BILL 30 31 1/25/2017 32 2/23/2017 33 1 RECALLED 2 February 23, 2017 3 4 S. 311 5 6 Introduced by Senators Shealy and McLeod 7 8 S. Printed 2/23/17--S. 9 Read the first time January 25, 2017. 10 11

[311-2] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A SENATE RESOLUTION 10 11 TO DECLARE FEBRUARY 26 THROUGH MARCH 4, 2017, 12 AS “EATING DISORDERS AWARENESS WEEK” IN THE 13 STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA TO COINCIDE WITH 14 NATIONAL EATING DISORDERS AWARENESS WEEK AND 15 TO DECLARE THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017, AS “EATING 16 DISORDERS AWARENESS DAY” IN SOUTH CAROLINA. 17 18 Whereas, an estimated four thousand adolescents in South 19 Carolina struggle with an eating disorder, and the South Carolina 20 Eating Disorders Association (SCEDA) provides critical support 21 for families and friends, raises community awareness, offers 22 educational programs, and promotes quality care and early 23 intervention; and 24 25 Whereas, in the United States, twenty million women and ten 26 million men suffer from a variety of clinically significant eating 27 disorders at some time in their lives, a challenge that can be 28 serious, indeed potentially lifethreatening, as it affects emotional 29 and physical health; and 30 31 Whereas, forty to sixty percent of elementary school girls ages six 32 to twelve are concerned about their weight or about becoming too 33 fat, while ninetyfive percent of those who have eating disorders are 34 between the ages of twelve and twentyfive; and 35 36 Whereas, a review of nearly fifty years of research confirms that 37 anorexia nervosa has the highest mortality rate of all psychiatric 38 disorders. For females between fifteen and twentyfour years old 39 who suffer from anorexia nervosa, the mortality rate associated 40 with the illness is twelve times higher than the death rate of all 41 other causes of death. Eating disorders can lead to major medical 42 complications, including cardiac arrhythmia, cognitive

[311] 3 1 impairment, certain cancers, osteoporosis, infertility, kidney 2 failure, and death; and 3 4 Whereas, despite the prevalence of eating disorders, they continue 5 to receive inadequate research funding. Research spending in 2011 6 on Alzheimer’s averaged $88 per affected individual, on 7 schizophrenia, $81; on autism, $44. For eating disorders, the 8 average research spending per affected individual was just $0.93; 9 and 10 11 Whereas, problems like anorexia, bulimia, and compulsive 12 overeating are often misunderstood, stigmatized, underfunded, and 13 undertreated, resulting in embarrassment and secrecy that 14 contribute to the underreporting of eating disorders; and 15 16 Whereas, associated with substantial psychological problems, 17 including depression, substance abuse, and suicide, eating 18 disorders affect persons of every race, color, gender, and 19 socioeconomic category. Media pressures, as well as genetic, 20 social, and familial factors, are also related to eating disorders; and 21 22 Whereas, because many insurance companies disallow or limit 23 reimbursements for treating eating disorders, many doctors feel 24 pressured to discharge patients with anorexia nervosa prematurely, 25 which places patients in lifethreatening situations. Although these 26 disorders are treatable when diagnosed early and treated 27 sufficiently, many insurance companies continue to make a 28 common practice of delaying care, which leads to more severe 29 symptoms at admission and premature termination of treatment for 30 eating disorders, factors that are linked to high rates of relapse; and 31 32 Whereas, treatment for an eating disorder in the United States 33 ranges from $500 to $2,000 per day. The average monthly cost for 34 inpatient treatment is $30,000, with necessary estimated inpatient 35 care lasting from three to six months. The cost of outpatient 36 treatment, including therapy and medical monitoring, can exceed 37 $100,000; and 38 39 Whereas, this year’s National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, 40 with the theme of “It’s Time to Talk About It,” seeks to direct 41 public and media attention to the seriousness of eating disorders 42 and improve education about the causes and signs of eating 43 disorders and the means of recovery; and

[311] 4 1 2 Whereas, concerned with preserving and protecting the health of 3 this great state’s citizens, the South Carolina Senate encourages 4 citizens and policymakers to learn more about eating disorders and 5 the obstacles to treatment so that all of us may be better equipped 6 to help our people overcome and prevent these lifethreatening 7 diseases. Now, therefore, 8 9 Be it resolved by the Senate: 10 11 That the members of the South Carolina Senate, by this resolution, 12 declare February 26 through March 4, 2017, as “Eating Disorders 13 Awareness Week” in the State of South Carolina to coincide with 14 National Eating Disorders Awareness Week and declare Thursday, 15 March 2, 2017, as “Eating Disorders Awareness Day” in South 16 Carolina. 17 XX 18

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