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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING EQUAL HOPE AND RECOGNIZING JANUARY AS CERVICAL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH IN COOK COUNTY
WHEREAS, the United States Congress designated January as Cervical Health Awareness Month; and
WHEREAS, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women globally with an estimated 604, 000 new cases and 342,000 deaths in 2020; and
WHEREAS, the American Cancer Society's estimates for cervical cancer in the United States for 2023 are approximately 13,960 new cases of invasive cervical cancer will be diagnosed and about 4,310 women will die as a result of this diagnosis, but the disease is preventable with vaccination and appropriate screening such as Pap and HPV tests; and
WHEREAS, like many diseases, racial disparities are troubling for cervical cancer, where the death rate is 65% higher in Black women than in White women, even though both groups self-report similar screening efforts, accordingly in Illinois, cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates are highest in Black and Hispanic women and lowest in White women; and
WHEREAS, human papillomavirus (HPV) is the #1 cause of cervical cancer; however, HPV vaccines can help prevent infection from both high-risk HPV types that can lead to cervical cancer and low risk types that cause genital warts; and
WHEREAS, the CDC recommends all boys and girls get the HPV vaccine at age 11 or 12, but vaccination is available through age 26; and
WHEREAS, the vaccine produces a stronger immune response when taken during the preteen years, and it is for this reason that up until age 14, only two doses of the vaccine are required; and
WHEREAS, young women and men can get the vaccine up to age 26, but for those 15 and older, a full three-dose series is needed; and
WHEREAS, it’s important to recognize outstanding work being done here in Illinois and Cook County by our community partners such as Equal Hope; and
WHEREAS, Equal Hope is a not-for-profit organization originally set up in 2008 as the Metropolitan Chicago Breast Cancer Task Force after the publication of disturbing research that showed that Chicago had large and growing racial disparities in breast cancer mortality; and
WHEREAS, women of color are disproportionally affected by cervical cancer with Black and Latina women nearly three times more likely to die of cervical cancer than white women in Chicago, as a result Equal Hope launched the Nix the Risk campaign to underscore their commitment to eradicating cervical cancer in Chicago by 2040; and
WHEREAS, Equal Hope’s mission is to save women’s lives by eliminating health disparities in Illinois, originally through the lens of breast cancer and now expanded to cervical cancer and other women’s cancers; addressing women’s health holistically by helping women establish medical homes with the goal of eliminating inequities in prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship for all women; and
WHEREAS, this Honorable Body wishes to promote and raise awareness of National Cervical Health Awareness Month in Cook County and to recognize the good work of Equal Hope in combatting this “silent killer” of women;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the President and the Cook County Board of Commissioners, on behalf of the more than 5.2 million residents of Cook County, do hereby take this opportunity to acknowledge National Cervical Health Awareness Month; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that in conjunction with National Cervical Health Awareness Month, that the month of January be hereby declared Cervical Cancer Awareness Month in the County of Cook; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this text be spread upon the official proceedings of this Honorable Body and that a suitable copy be presented to Equal Hope in recognition of National Cervical Cancer Awareness Month.
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