Senate Resolution No. 951
BY: Senator MAY
MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim
May 11-17, 2025, as Fibromyalgia Awareness Week in
the State of New York
WHEREAS, An estimated 10 million people in the United States, and an
estimated 3-6 percent of the world's population, generally between ages
20-50, have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia; in the United States, this
number increases to approximately 8 percent by age 80, according to the
National Fibromyalgia Association; and
WHEREAS, A chronic syndrome with no known prevention or cure that is
increasing at alarming rates, Fibromyalgia causes debilitating
widespread chronic pain and fatigue; has a demonstrated genetic
component; occurs in women, men, and children of all ages and
ethnicities; and demonstrates some similarities with Long COVID,
signaling an increased need for more research funding; and
WHEREAS, Patients with Fibromyalgia often must live with widespread
pain throughout their bodies, extreme fatigue, sleep disorders,
digestive difficulties, stiffness and weakness, migraine headaches,
numbness and tingling, and impairment of memory and concentration; and
WHEREAS, The average gap between medical research and clinical
practice is 17 years, and it often takes an average of five years to
receive a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia; and
WHEREAS, Fibromyalgia patients are often misunderstood by the
medical, business, and education communities, primarily due to the lack
of teaching in medical schools about what is currently known regarding
this potentially disabling illness; and
WHEREAS, Chronic pain is a risk factor for suicide, as individuals
with chronic pain are at least twice as likely to report suicidal
behaviors or to complete suicide; as part of their global initiative,
the World Health Organization recommends that a comprehensive clinical
assessment of suicidal behaviors be routinely performed on all
individuals 10 years of age or older who report having chronic pain; and
WHEREAS, According to a fact sheet provided by the National
Fibromyalgia Association, 90% of physicians agree there is a need for
more physician oriented information, and 82% of physicians agree that
Fibromyalgia is difficult to treat with currently available tools; use
of complementary and alternative medicine is 2.5 times higher in
Fibromyalgia patients; and
WHEREAS, The NIH reports that average direct costs above insurance,
over a three-month period, added up to $951, which could be translated
in a mean annual cost of $3,804 per patient; and estimates for the total
annual direct costs per patient ranged from $1,750 to $35,920 in the
USA; and
WHEREAS, The National Fibromyalgia Association reports that over 60%
of their Fibromyalgia study participants currently use or have used CBD
for symptoms primarily to treat pain, anxiety, sleep problems, joint
stiffness, and muscle spasms, indicating a need for more rigorous
studies in order to develop guidance for physicians; and
WHEREAS, Fibromyalgia patients often lose jobs, career promotion
opportunities, homes, and spouses or significant others due to lack of
awareness and understanding about the potentially devastating impact of
Fibromyalgia; and
WHEREAS, The International Institute For Human Empowerment, Inc., a
nonprofit charitable organization in the Capital District of New York,
is dedicated to empowering all who face discrimination as a result of
race, gender, socioeconomic status, age, disabilities, and lifestyle
choices; and
WHEREAS, The International Institute For Human Empowerment, Inc.,
under the leadership of Sue Shipe, PhD, developed the Fibromyalgia Task
Force of New York State to address inequities in the diagnosis and
treatment of Fibromyalgia patients due to lack of education in medical
schools and continuing education for Physicians; lack of understanding
by society at large; lack of understanding and adequate accommodations
by employers; and lack of legal protections due to the general lack of
recognition of the devastating impact of this illness; the Fibromyalgia
Task Force of New York State serves patients across the state of New
York, provides education and advocacy nationally, and shares information
internationally; and
WHEREAS, The Fibromyalgia Task Force of New York State is
celebrating two years since the release of their new website for
Physicians, www.nyfibro.org, that provides an overview of current
Fibromyalgia Research with implications for new treatments, a section of
resources that patients have found helpful for dealing with the symptoms
of Fibromyalgia, and has been visited approximately 17,000 times; the
International Institute For Human Empowerment website, which includes
its Fibromyalgia activities since 2007, has been visited over 306,000
times; and
WHEREAS, The Fibromyalgia Task Force of New York State, which also
maintains a Facebook Page of approximately 2,600 followers, is working
toward a vision of multiple Centers For Excellence for Fibromyalgia to
assist in meeting the current lack of understanding, timely diagnosis,
and affordable treatments facing Fibromyalgia patients; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body recognizes the needs of those
chronically ill people who suffer from Fibromyalgia, and urges all of
our citizens to support the search for prevention and a cure, and assist
those families who deal with this devastating syndrome on a daily basis;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim May 11-17, 2025, as
Fibromyalgia Awareness Week 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; Albany Medical Center; New York State Department of Health;
Medical Society of the State of New York; SUNY at Albany Department of
Public Health; and Fibromyalgia Task Force of New York State.
