HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	28
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

DESIGNATING THE MONTH OF MARCH AS HAWAII KIDNEY AWARENESS MONTH.

WHEREAS, chronic kidney disease is a major health concern that affects an estimated thirty-seven million individuals nationwide, and millions more are at risk of developing the disease; and

WHEREAS, according to the American Kidney Fund, nine out of ten people having early kidney disease do not realize that they have the disease because the disease's symptoms do not usually manifest until later stages; and

WHEREAS, chronic kidney disease may progress quickly or slowly through five stages, the final of which is known as "end stage kidney disease", which must be treated with kidney replacement or dialysis; and

WHEREAS, the incidence of end stage kidney disease is rising quickly; and

WHEREAS, there are currently more than 785,000 Americans who have been diagnosed with kidney failure, an increase of more than one hundred percent since the year 2000; and

WHEREAS, moreover, approximately five hundred fifty thousand patients are on dialysis, and more than two hundred twenty thousand people are living with functioning kidney transplants; and

WHEREAS, kidney disease is treatable: with early detection and treatment, including simple blood and urine tests, it is often possible to slow or even stop the progress of the disease; and

WHEREAS, symptoms of chronic kidney disease include changes in urination; swelling of the feet, ankles, hands, or face; fatigue and weakness; shortness of breath; ammonia breath or ammonia or metallic taste in the mouth; back or flank pain; itching; loss of appetite; nausea and vomiting; and, if diabetic, more hypoglycemic episodes; and

WHEREAS, minority populations suffer disproportionately from chronic kidney disease; and

WHEREAS, according to the National Kidney Foundation, black Americans are almost four times more likely than white Americans to develop kidney failure, and Hispanics are thirty percent more likely than non-Hispanics to develop kidney failure; and

WHEREAS, studies have also shown that Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders living in the United States and Pacific territories have even higher rates of end stage kidney disease incidence; and

WHEREAS, among Asian Americans aged thirty to thirty-nine, the rate of kidney failure caused by diabetes doubled in the ten years between 2000 and 2010, an alarmingly high increase; and

WHEREAS, because many Hawaii residents suffer from diabetes and high blood pressure, which are the two leading causes of kidney failure, chronic kidney disease is a particularly dangerous threat to the people of Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, in fact, Hawaii's kidney failure rate is thirty percent higher than the national rate; and

WHEREAS, this affliction may continue to ravage our communities unabated; and

WHEREAS, in light of the silent danger posed by chronic kidney disease and its prevalence in Hawaii, increasing awareness of chronic kidney disease must become a top health care priority within the State; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, the Senate concurring, that the month of March is hereby designated as Hawaii Kidney Awareness Month; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Director of Health, and chief executive officer of the National Kidney Foundation of Hawaii.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Hawaii Kidney Awareness Month; Designation; Chronic Kidney Disease;