,,iv  #aahth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #abcg  ,,in ,,the ,,house    
,,of ,,representatives  ,may #af1       
#bjbd,mr4 ,thompson of ,california 7for 
himself and ,mr4 ,kiley7 submitted the  
following resolution2 which was referred
 to the ,committee on ,energy and       
,commerce  ,,resolution  ,recognizing   
,necrotizing ,enterocolitis ,awareness  
,day4  ,whereas necrotizing             
enterocolitis 7,,nec7 is the most common
 cause of death in hospitalized         
premature infants after two weeks of    
age2 ,whereas babies born prematurely or
 with a medical complication1 like      
congenital heart disease1 are most at   
risk of ,,nec2 ,whereas thousands of    
babies develop ,,nec each year and      
hundreds of babies die from this complex
 condition2 ,whereas necrotizing        
enterocolitis causes a severe           
inflammatory process that can lead to   
intestinal tissue damage and death and1 
once ,,nec is diagnosed1 many babies    
only live for a few hours or days2      

,whereas surgery for ,,nec is not       
curative1 and the babies who survive    
often have lifelong neurological and    
nutritional complications2 ,whereas     
necrotizing enterocolitis results in    
approximately #e1jjj1jjj1jjj of         
hospitalization expenses per year and   
roughly #ai percent of neonatal health  
care expenditures in the ,united        
,states1 with an estimated cost of      
#bjj1jjj or more for each case of       
surgical necrotizing enterocolitis2     
,whereas breast milk is one of the most 
effective ways to help prevent          
necrotizing enterocolitis in medically  
fragile infants1 and when the mother's  
milk is unavailable1 pasteurized donor  
human milk is the next-safest option for
 babies at risk of ,,nec2 ,whereas      
formula does not protect against the    
risk of ,,nec in medically fragile      
infants1 and infants at risk of ,,nec   
receive the most protection from their  
mother's own milk and pasteurized donor 
milk2 ,whereas1 although the risk of    

necrotizing enterocolitis cannot be     
fully eliminated and there are not yet  
sure ways to stop or cure ,,nec1        
preventative measures are effective at  
reducing risks2 ,whereas parents must be
 trusted and valued as the most         
important member of their baby's care   
team1 and health care providers should  
partner with families to provide the    
best care for infants at risk of ,,nec2 
,whereas necrotizing enterocolitis can  
develop in both premature babies and    
babies born at term1 and more data are  
desperately needed to better understand 
how and why ,,nec occurs in preterm and 
term infants2 ,whereas disparities and  
variation in care lead to ,black infants
 being disproportionately affected by1  
and dying from1 necrotizing             
enterocolitis compared to ,white        
infants2 and ,whereas to build a world  
without necrotizing enterocolitis and   
improve outcomes for infants and        
families1 we must bring ,americans      
together to raise awareness about this  

devastating neonatal disease3 ,now1     
therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of    
,representatives-- 7#a7 recognizes the  
importance of raising awareness about   
necrotizing enterocolitis2 and  7#b7    
expresses support for the designation of
 ,necrotizing ,enterocolitis ,awareness 
,day4