WHEREAS, Since 1987, when the United States Congress authorized the establishment of a national registry of volunteer bone marrow donors, the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), now publicly known as Be The Match, has facilitated more than 74,000 marrow and umbilical cord blood transplants; and

WHEREAS, Be The Match states that the number of transplants facilitated through the national Be The Match Registry is only a fraction of the people who can benefit; and

WHEREAS, One of the leading hurdles cited in a report by the Government Accountability Office is locating a suitably matched, unrelated donor, a process that is often difficult, time-consuming, and costly; and

WHEREAS, Seventy percent of patients do not have a donor in their family and rely upon the national registry to find a match; and

WHEREAS, California ranks number one in the nation for patients searching for a match; and

WHEREAS, There is a need to enhance the understanding of the importance of bone marrow donation, and to encourage Californians to participate in bone marrow donation drives; and

WHEREAS, The most prevalent problem with respect to bone marrow donation is the need for racially and ethnically diverse donors because of complex tissue types; and

WHEREAS, Of the more than 13.5 million potential donors on the United States Be The Match Registry, 40 percent are donors from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds; and

WHEREAS, There is a need to engage the public to increase diversity in the registry, with the goal of finding a matching donor for all patients to receive the transplant they need, when they need it; and

WHEREAS, Be The Match operates the worlds largest and most diverse registry of potential bone marrow donors; and

WHEREAS, The bone marrow registration process is simple; it only takes a few minutes and requires a cheek swab; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature designates the month of May 2016 as Bone Marrow Donation Awareness Month; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.

ACR 172: Bone Marrow Donation Awareness Month.

Assembly Floor

Senate Floor

Assembly Floor

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