ACR233 - Sepsis Awareness Month.

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 233 CHAPTER 218 Relative to Sepsis Awareness Month. [ Filed with Secretary of State August 27, 2026. ] LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST ACR 233, Sharp-Collins. Sepsis Awareness Month. This measure would proclaim September 2026 as Sepsis Awareness Month in California. Digest Key Fiscal Committee: NO Bill Text WHEREAS, September has been nationally recognized as Sepsis Awareness Month by Sepsis Alliance to bring awareness to sepsis, the body’s life-threatening response to infection, which can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death; and WHEREAS, Sepsis affects 1.7 million Americans and takes the lives of 350,000 adults in the United States every year; and WHEREAS, Each year, more than 75,000 children in the United States develop severe sepsis and 6,800 of these children die; and WHEREAS, Sepsis is the number one cost of hospitalization in the United States, with costs for acute sepsis hospitalization and skilled nursing estimated to be $62 billion annually; and WHEREAS, On average, sepsis survivors have a shortened life expectancy, are more likely to suffer from an impaired quality of life, and often experience after-effects, including postsepsis syndrome and 14,000 amputations per year in the United States; and WHEREAS, Communities that have historically lacked access to high-quality health care experience a disproportionate burden of sepsis-related suffering; and WHEREAS, Sepsis is the second-leading cause of pregnancy-related mortality in the United States; and WHEREAS, The growing problem of antimicrobial resistance is steadily increasing the frequency of sepsis cases; and WHEREAS, Despite the severe danger and widespread occurrence of this illness, a survey conducted by Sepsis Alliance found that less than 15 percent of United States adults can identify the symptoms of sepsis; and WHEREAS, The signs of sepsis can be remembered with the mnemonic “TIME,” which stands for temperature, infection, mental decline, and extremely ill; and WHEREAS, Awareness of the signs and symptoms of sepsis along with rapid diagnosis and treatment can save lives and improve outcomes for sepsis survivors; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature proclaims September 2026 as Sepsis Awareness Month in California; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.