HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 10-16-2018 4-a - Proclamation Declaring October as Dysautonomia Awareness Month 1
ORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: October 16, 2018
Action Agenda
Item No. 4-a
SUBJECT: Proclamation Declaring October 2018 as Dysautonomia Awareness Month
DEPARTMENT: County Manager
ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT:
1) September 12, 2018 Letter of Request from Bonnie Hammersley, 919-245-2300
Miranda Harris with Sample Proclamation
2) Proclamation
PURPOSE: To adopt a proclamation declaring October 2018 as Dysautonomia Awareness
Month.
BACKGROUND: Miranda Harris, an Orange High School student, recently submitted a letter
requesting that the Board of Commissioners consider approving a proclamation declaring
October 2018 as Dysautonomia Awareness Month. Ms. Harris' request is provided at
Attachment 1.
Dysautonomia is a group of medical conditions that result in a malfunction of the autonomic
nervous system, which is responsible for "automatic" bodily functions such as respiration, heart
rate, blood pressure, digestion, temperature control and more. Some forms of dysautonomia
are considered rare diseases, such as Multiple System Atrophy and Pure Autonomic Failure,
while other forms of dysautonomia are common, impacting millions of people in the US and
around the world, such as Diabetic Autonomic Neuropathy, Neurocardiogenic Syncope and
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. Dysautonomia impacts people of any age, gender,
race or background, including many individuals living in Orange County.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact associated with consideration of the
proclamation.
SOCIAL JUSTICE IMPACT: The following Orange County Social Justice Goals are applicable
to this item:
• GOAL: FOSTER A COMMUNITY CULTURE THAT REJECTS OPPRESSION AND
INEQUITY
The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race or color;
religious or philosophical beliefs; sex, gender or sexual orientation; national origin or
ethnic background; age; military service; disability; and familial, residential or economic
status.
• GOAL: ENABLE FULL CIVIC PARTICIPATION
Ensure that Orange County residents are able to engage government through voting and
volunteering by eliminating disparities in participation and barriers to participation.
RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends the Board approve and authorize the
Chair to sign the proclamation provided at Attachment 2.
2
September 12, 2018
Orange County Board of Commissioners
CC: Donna Baker, County Clerk
Orange County
200 South Cameron Street
Hillsborough, NC 27278
Re: Dysautonomia Awareness Month
Proclamation Request
Dear Commissioners Dorosin, Rich, Burroughs, Jacobs, Marcoplos, McKee and Price,
My name is Miranda Harris, I am 15 years old and I attend Orange High School. In 2016
I was diagnosed with a form of dysautonomia called POTS (Postural Orthostatic
Tachycardia Syndrome), which has altered my life. I am seeking your assistance in
raising awareness of POTS/dysautonomia as an important public health matter. October
is "Dysautonomia Awareness Month" around the world. In conjunction with
Dysautonomia International, I'm asking Orange County to help us raise awareness by
issuing a Proclamation declaring October to be Dysautonomia Awareness Month in
Orange County.
Dysautonomia (pronounced "dis—oughta—know'—me—uh") is an umbrella term used
to describe several different neurological conditions caused by a malfunction of the
autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system controls all of the
involuntary bodily functions that we normally take for granted—regulation of our blood
pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, digestion, kidney function, temperature control,
pupil constriction and dilation, etc. When the autonomic nerves are damaged, it can
cause very serious problems in one or more of these systems.
While many people have never heard of it, POTS is not rare. Mayo Clinic researchers
estimate that POTS impacts 1 out of 100 teens, and a total of 1-3 million Americans
including adult onset patients, and millions more around the globe, making POTS more
common than well-known conditions like multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. The
majority of people living with POTS are young women between ages 12 and 40, although
older adults and males can be impacted too. POTS symptoms include tachycardia upon
standing, blood pooling in the extremities, blood pressure dysregulation, fainting, dilated
pupils which cause a sensitivity to light and frequent migraines, chest pains, shortness of
breath, gastrointestinal motility problems, peripheral neuropathy, and many other
symptoms. Autonomic disorders cause so many symptoms, because the autonomic
nervous system controls so many different bodily functions. Experts compare the
disability seen in POTS to what is seen in COPD and congestive heart failure. 25% of
people living with POTS cannot work or attend school, resulting in a substantial
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economic and social impact to families and our country as a whole.
It is important to me that I do all that I can to spread awareness because, although it is a
common condition, it is invisible to others and often goes unrecognized. On average it
takes nearly 6 years to get diagnosed. With your help, I hope to raise awareness about
dysautonomia to help other patients get diagnosed in a more timely manner, as many
dysautonomia patients suffer undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for many years due to a lack
of public and physician awareness about dysautonomia. With your help, we can change
that in Orange County.
I have attached a sample proclamation and some information about dysautonomia for
your consideration. The proclamation was drafted by Dysautonomia International, a
501(c)(3) non-profit that is dedicated to improving the lives of individuals living with
dysautonomia through research, education, advocacy and awareness. If you are
interested, you can learn more about POTS and other forms of dysautonomia on their
website, www.dysautonomiainternational.org.
Please let me know if your office is able to help us raise awareness of dysautonomia by
issuing the attached proclamation declaring October to be Dysautonomia Awareness
Month in Orange County. Ideally, we would like to obtain the proclamation in early
October so that we can obtain some press coverage about Dysautonomia Awareness
Month after the proclamation is issued.
If there is any other information you need, or if you have any questions, please feel free
to contact me.
Respectfully,
Miranda Harris
919-768-2165
mirandaharrisnc@gmail.com
5922 Country Lane Drive
Orange County
Durham NC 27705
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A PROCLAMATION FOR DYSAUTONOMIA AWARENESS MONTH
WHEREAS, dysautonomia is a group of medical conditions that result in a
malfunction of the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for "automatic"
bodily functions such as respiration, heart rate, blood pressure, digestion,
temperature control and more;
WHEREAS, some forms of dysautonomia are considered rare diseases, such as
Multiple System Atrophy and Pure Autonomic Failure,while other forms of
dysautonomia are common, impacting millions of people in the US and around the
world, such as Diabetic Autonomic Neuropathy, Neurocardiogenic Syncope and
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome;
WHEREAS, dysautonomia impacts people of any age, gender, race or background,
including many individuals living in Orange County, North Carolina;
WHEREAS, some forms of dysautonomia can be very disabling and this disability
can result in social isolation, stress on the families of those impacted, and financial
hardship;
WHEREAS, some forms of dysautonomia can result in death, causing tremendous
pain and suffering for those impacted and their loved ones;
WHEREAS, increased awareness about dysautonomia will help patients get
diagnosed and treated earlier, save lives, and foster support for individuals and
families coping with dysautonomia in our community;
WHEREAS, Dysautonomia International, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that
advocates on behalf of patients living with dysautonomia, encourages communities
to celebrate Dysautonomia Awareness Month each October around the world;
WHEREAS,we seek to recognize the contributions of the professional medical
community, patients and family members who are working to educate our citizenry
about dysautonomia in Orange County, North Carolina.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, ,
of , do hereby proclaim
the month of October as,
DYSAUTONOMIA AWARENESS MONTH
Throughout Orange County, North Carolina
Attachment 2 5
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
PROCLAMATION
DYSAUTONOMIA AWARENESS MONTH
WHEREAS, dysautonomia is a group of medical conditions that result in a malfunction
of the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for "automatic" bodily functions
such as respiration, heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, temperature control and more;
and
WHEREAS, some forms of dysautonomia are considered rare diseases, such as
Multiple System Atrophy and Pure Autonomic Failure, while other forms of
dysautonomia are common, impacting millions of people in the US and around the
world, such as Diabetic Autonomic Neuropathy, Neurocardiogenic Syncope and
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome; and
WHEREAS, dysautonomia impacts people of any age, gender, race or background,
including many individuals living in Orange County; and
WHEREAS, some forms of dysautonomia can be very disabling and this disability can
result in social isolation, stress on the families of those impacted, and financial hardship;
and
WHEREAS, some forms of dysautonomia can result in death, causing tremendous pain
and suffering for those impacted and their loved ones; and
WHEREAS, increased awareness about dysautonomia will help patients get diagnosed
and treated earlier, save lives, and foster support for individuals and families coping with
dysautonomia in our community; and
WHEREAS, Dysautonomia International, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that
advocates on behalf of patients living with dysautonomia, encourages communities to
celebrate Dysautonomia Awareness Month each October around the world; and
WHEREAS, Orange County seeks to recognize the contributions of the professional
medical community, patients and family members who are working to educate residents
about dysautonomia in Orange County;
NOW, THEREFORE, we, the Orange County Board of Commissioners, do hereby
proclaim October 2018 as DYSAUTONOMIA AWARENESS MONTH in Orange County.
This the 16th day of October, 2018.
Mark Dorosin, Chair
Orange County Board of Commissioners