Senate Resolution No. 2071

BY: Senator RHOADS

MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim
May 17, 2024, as Necrotizing Enterocolitis Awareness
Day in the State of New York

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize
official days that are set aside to increase awareness of serious health
issues that affect the lives of families in the State of New York; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim Friday, May 17, 2024, as
Necrotizing Enterocolitis Awareness Day in the State of New York; and

WHEREAS, Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is the most common cause of
death in hospitalized premature infants after two weeks of age; and

WHEREAS, Babies born prematurely or with a medical complication like
congenital heart disease are most at risk of NEC; and

WHEREAS, Thousands of babies develop NEC each year and hundreds of
babies die from this complex intestinal condition; and

WHEREAS, Necrotizing enterocolitis causes a severe inflammatory
process that can lead to intestinal tissue damage and death; once NEC is
diagnosed, many babies only live for a few hours or days; and

WHEREAS, Surgery for NEC is not curative, and the babies who survive
often have lifelong neurological and nutritional complications; and

WHEREAS, Necrotizing enterocolitis results in approximately
$5,000,000,000 dollars of hospitalization expenses per year and roughly
19 percent of neonatal healthcare expenditures in the United States,
with an estimated cost of $200,000 or more for each case of surgical
necrotizing enterocolitis; and

WHEREAS, Breast milk is one of the most effective ways to help
prevent necrotizing enterocolitis in medically fragile infants, and when
the mother's milk is unavailable, pasteurized donor human milk is the
next-safest option for babies at risk of NEC; and

WHEREAS, Formula does not protect against the risk of NEC in
medically fragile infants, and infants at risk of NEC receive the most
protection from their mother's own milk and pasteurized donor milk; and

WHEREAS, Although the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis cannot be
fully eliminated and there are not yet sure ways to stop or cure NEC,
preventative measures are effective at reducing risks; and

WHEREAS, Parents must be trusted and valued as the most important
member of their baby's care team, and healthcare providers should
partner with families to provide the best care for infants at risk of
NEC; and

WHEREAS, This illness affects citizens across this State and Nation;
Stephanie Ruidiaz is one such resident living in Bellmore, New York; she
has been a champion for Necrotizing enterocolitis after experiencing
firsthand the severity of this condition and after facing a devastating
loss herself; and

WHEREAS, She serves on the Board of Directors for the NEC Society, a
nonprofit organization which works to eliminate the disease, pouring
every ounce of herself into raising awareness of this necessary cause;
and

WHEREAS, Necrotizing enterocolitis can develop in both premature
babies and babies born at term and more data is desperately needed to
better understand how and why NEC occurs in preterm and term infants;
and

WHEREAS, Disparities and variation in care lead to Black infants
being disproportionately affected by, and dying from, necrotizing
enterocolitis compared to white infants; and

WHEREAS, The NEC Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
founded and led by a bereaved mother from California whose son died from
complications of NEC, and the NEC Society is the world's leading charity
working to accelerate NEC research, education, and advocacy; and

WHEREAS, To build a world without necrotizing enterocolitis and
improve outcomes for infants and families, we must bring New Yorkers
together to raise awareness about this devastating neonatal disease;
now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim May 17, 2024, as
Necrotizing Enterocolitis Awareness Day in the State of New York; and be
it further

RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York, and the NEC Society.