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| 1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The brave men and women of the United States Armed | ||||||
| 3 | Forces who proudly serve the United
States and risk their lives | ||||||
| 4 | to protect our freedom deserve the investment of every possible | ||||||
| 5 | resource to
ensure their lasting physical, mental, and | ||||||
| 6 | emotional well-being; and
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| 7 | WHEREAS, All citizens deserve the basic human right to the | ||||||
| 8 | preservation of personal dignity; and
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| 9 | WHEREAS, The diagnosis now known as Post-Traumatic Stress | ||||||
| 10 | Disorder (PTSD), was first defined to
commonly and more | ||||||
| 11 | accurately understand and treat veterans who had endured severe | ||||||
| 12 | traumatic
combat stress; and | ||||||
| 13 | WHEREAS, Combat operational stress has historically been | ||||||
| 14 | viewed as a mental illness caused by a preexisting
flaw of | ||||||
| 15 | character and/or ability; the term Post-Traumatic Stress | ||||||
| 16 | Disorder (PTSD) carries a
stigma that perpetuates this | ||||||
| 17 | misconception; and | ||||||
| 18 | WHEREAS, Post-traumatic stress can occur after | ||||||
| 19 | experiencing a severely traumatic event to include
sexual | ||||||
| 20 | assault, child abuse, high-impact collisions and crashes, | ||||||
| 21 | natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and
military combat; and | ||||||
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| 1 | WHEREAS, Post-traumatic stress is a very common injury to | ||||||
| 2 | the brain that is treatable and repairable; and | ||||||
| 3 | WHEREAS, Referring to the complications from | ||||||
| 4 | post-traumatic stress as a disorder perpetuates the
stigma of | ||||||
| 5 | and bias against mental illness; the stigma discourages those | ||||||
| 6 | suffering from post-traumatic
stress from seeking proper and | ||||||
| 7 | timely medical treatment; and
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| 8 | WHEREAS, Making the condition less stigmatizing and more | ||||||
| 9 | honorable can favorably influence those
affected and encourage | ||||||
| 10 | them to seek help without fear of retribution or shame; and
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| 11 | WHEREAS, Proper and timely treatment can diminish suicide | ||||||
| 12 | rates; and
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| 13 | WHEREAS, All citizens suffering from post-traumatic stress | ||||||
| 14 | injury deserve our compassion and
consideration; those who have | ||||||
| 15 | received these wounds in action against an enemy of the United | ||||||
| 16 | States
further deserve our tribute and acknowledgement; | ||||||
| 17 | therefore, be it
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| 18 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
| 19 | NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | ||||||
| 20 | designate June 27, 2016 as Post-Traumatic Stress Injury | ||||||
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| 1 | Awareness Day in the State of Illinois; and be it further | ||||||
| 2 | RESOLVED, That we designate June of 2016 as Post-Traumatic | ||||||
| 3 | Stress Injury Awareness Month in the State of Illinois; and be | ||||||
| 4 | it further | ||||||
| 5 | RESOLVED, That we urge the Department of Public Health and | ||||||
| 6 | the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to continue
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| 7 | working to educate victims of abuse, crime, and natural | ||||||
| 8 | disasters, service members, veterans and
their families, and | ||||||
| 9 | the general public, about the causes, symptoms, and treatment | ||||||
| 10 | of post-traumatic
stress injury; and be it further
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| 11 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
| 12 | delivered to Governor Rauner.
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