HR 249 — A Resolution designating the week of September 21 through 28, 2025, as "Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Research and Awareness Week" in Pennsylvania to increase awareness and understanding of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis to support improved diagnosis and treatment.

PRINTER'S NO.    1836

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



              HOUSE RESOLUTION
                 No. 249
                                                 Session of
                                                   2025

     INTRODUCED BY RAPP, ZIMMERMAN, KAUFFMAN, CAUSER, ROWE, VENKAT,
        NEILSON, RIVERA AND GALLAGHER, JUNE 3, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, JUNE 4, 2025


                                  A RESOLUTION
 1   Designating the week of September 21 through 28, 2025, as
 2      "Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Research and Awareness Week"
 3      in Pennsylvania to increase awareness and understanding of
 4      idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis to support improved diagnosis
 5      and treatment.
 6         WHEREAS, Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a debilitating and
 7   generally fatal disease marked by progressive scarring of the
 8   lungs, causing an irreversible loss of the lung tissue's ability
 9   to transport oxygen; and
10         WHEREAS, Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis progresses quickly,
11   often causing disability or death within three to five years;
12   and
13         WHEREAS, Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is the most common
14   form of interstitial lung disease; and
15         WHEREAS, There is no proven cause of idiopathic pulmonary
16   fibrosis, and it is often misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed; and
17         WHEREAS, Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is five times more
18   common than cystic fibrosis and Lou Gehrig's disease, yet the
19   disease remains virtually unknown and receives a fraction of the
 1   research funding; and
 2         WHEREAS, More than 132,000 United States citizens have
 3   idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and more than 50,000 new cases are
 4   diagnosed each year; and
 5         WHEREAS, 40,000 people die each year due to idiopathic
 6   pulmonary fibrosis, the same number as breast cancer; and
 7         WHEREAS, Approximately 7,000 Pennsylvanians suffer from
 8   idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; and
 9         WHEREAS, This Commonwealth has become a leader in the
10   research and treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, with
11   more than 15% of all lung transplants in the United States
12   performed in Pennsylvania hospitals; and
13         WHEREAS, Organizations like the Wescoe Foundation for
14   Pulmonary Fibrosis and the Pennsylvania Idiopathic Pulmonary
15   Fibrosis Support Network play a crucial role in raising
16   awareness and providing support and education for patients,
17   families and health care providers throughout this Commonwealth;
18   and
19         WHEREAS, Increased research, awareness and detection of
20   idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is needed; therefore be it
21         RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
22   week of September 21 through 28, 2025, as "Idiopathic Pulmonary
23   Fibrosis Research and Awareness Week" in Pennsylvania to
24   increase awareness and understanding of idiopathic pulmonary
25   fibrosis to support improved diagnosis and treatment.




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