National Scoliosis Awareness Month

WHEREAS, Scoliosis, the abnormal curvature of the spine, is a condition which affects almost three percent of all people living in Alabama; and

WHEREAS, public awareness of this condition is vital in helping children, parents, and health care providers diagnose, understand, and treat the disease; and

WHEREAS, Scoliosis primarily affects healthy children, between the ages of ten and fifteen and progresses more rapidly and more severely in females; and

WHEREAS, approximately one of every six Alabama children diagnosed with Scoliosis will eventually require active treatment in the form of a brace or surgery; and

WHEREAS, Scoliosis can impact a child’s quality of life if untreated with limited activity, pain, reduced heart and lung function, or diminished self-esteem; and

WHEREAS, since 1984, the State of Alabama’s Public School Screening Program has allowed for the early detection of Scoliosis and referral for treatment that may alleviate its worst effects; and

WHEREAS, the Alabama Public School Screening Program includes all 67 counties, with 128 school systems, with school nurses screening over 310,000 children yearly in grades 5-9:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Robert Bentley, Governor of Alabama, do hereby proclaim June 2011, as

National Scoliosis Awareness Month

in the state of the Alabama. 

Given Under My Hand and the Great Seal of the Office of the Governor at the State Capitol in the City of Montgomery on the 6th day of May 2011.

     

Governor Robert Bentley