Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 17–Senators Wiener, Rawson, Mathews, Amodei, Titus, Care, McGinness, Neal, O’Connell, Schneider, Townsend and Washington

 

FILE NUMBER..........

 

Senate Concurrent RESOLUTION—Urging the Commission on Mental Health and Developmental Services in cooperation with the Department of Education, the University and Community College System of Nevada and local school districts to take the steps necessary to increase public awareness of certain eating disorders and inspire public support for the inclusion of eating disorders in the insurance benefits mandated for mental health coverage.

 

   Whereas, Each year millions of people in the United States are

 affected by serious and sometimes life-threatening eating disorders such as

 compulsive or binge eating that may result in obesity, anorexia nervosa

 and bulimia nervosa that cause immeasurable suffering for victims and

 their families; and

   Whereas, Research suggests that, conservatively, at least 1 percent of

 female adolescents have anorexia, with cases occurring in children as

 young as 6 years of age, at least 4 percent of college-aged women have

 bulimia, and, while the percentage is significantly lower among males,

 cases of eating disorders among young males are being reported with

 increasing frequency; and

   Whereas, A study reported by the Centers for Disease Control and

 Prevention indicate that 61 percent of adults in the United States are

 overweight, of which 26 percent are considered obese; and

   Whereas, Without early treatment, eating disorders can lead to

 physiological damage, some of which is irreversible, including irregular

 heartbeat, kidney and liver damage, destruction of teeth, infertility, a

 weakened immune system, anemia, malnutrition, loss of bone mass and

 increased risk of certain cancers, diabetes and arthritis; and

   Whereas, Eating disorders of this kind are treatable, particularly if they

 are detected early, treated by trained therapists and supplemented by

 support groups; and

   Whereas, Treatment for such eating disorders, especially in advanced

 cases, can be expensive as many victims require extensive medical

 monitoring, with therapy generally extending over two or more years and

 the possibility of inpatient treatment that can cost more than $30,000 a

 month; and

   Whereas, Although these eating disorders occur in persons of all ages,

 backgrounds and body size, because these disorders primarily affect young

 people in their teens and twenties, educational programs should focus on

 adolescent groups and the parents, teachers and school counselors of

 adolescents to maximize preventive efforts; and

   Whereas, The devastating personal and social effects of eating

 disorders can be alleviated by increased dissemination of information that

 includes the nutritional requirements of persons in various age groups, the

 dangers associated with certain patterns of eating, the recognition of both

 the physical and psychological symptoms of eating disorders and the

 importance of early treatment of these disorders to prevent serious

 consequences; now, therefore, be it

   Resolved by the Senate of the State of Nevada, the Assembly

Concurring, That the Commission on Mental Health and Developmental

 Services in cooperation with the Department of Education, the University

 and Community College System of Nevada and local school districts is

 urged to direct the development of educational programs and materials

 relating to eating disorders such as compulsive or binge eating, anorexia

 nervosa and bulimia nervosa for use in schools and colleges in Nevada and

 for general distribution throughout the State of Nevada to increase

 awareness of eating disorders; and be it further

   Resolved, That the Commission on Mental Health and Developmental

 Services include as a part of those educational materials sufficient

 information that will inspire Nevadans to support legislation to include

 these eating disorders as part of the insurance benefits mandated for

 mental health coverage; and be it further

   Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate prepare and transmit a copy

 of this resolution to Frances Brown, MSN, MSEd, RN, Chairman of the

 Commission on Mental Health and Developmental Services, to the

 Department of Education for transmittal to all public, private and charter

 schools, and to the Board of Regents for transmittal to the universities and

 community colleges of the University and Community College System of

 Nevada.

 

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