FASDAY 2003 Proclamation Guidelines

 

  1. Get statistics for your state (number of births per year and total population).  Source: 2000 US Census Bureau Population Tables http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/ or 2001 stats for all states http://www.areaconnect.com/ (click on state, then click on “Population Details” to find number of births and population)
  2. Plug your numbers into Dr. Larry Burd’s Prevalence and Cost Calculator http://www.online-clinic.com/Content/Materials/calculator.asp  Choose your state from pull down menu, check to see if your population figures are correct, as default figures here are not necessarilys accurate.  Click “Calculate Prevalence” to come up with estimates for your state.  Print out the web page for future reference.  From the Prevalence and Cost Calculator for your state, find the Total Annual Costs for FAS and ARND.
  3. Find the current name and mailing address for the governor of your state http://www.nga.org/governors/1,1169,,00.html
  4. Plug your state specific information into the sample Proclamation and request letter below.  Just cut and paste into your word processing document and make the appropriate changes for your state.
  5. Write a press release and send out to all local media (newspapers http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/usstate/usatable.htm and television stations http://newsdirectory.com/tv/ )

 

 

 

Office of the Governor

PROCLAMANTION

 

*FASD AWARENESS DAY*

 

WHEREAS, healthy children are the most important resource in the great State of Arizona; and

 

WHEREAS, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is the leading cause of mental retardation in western civilization; and

 

WHEREAS, as many as 1 in every 100 individuals in these United States may be adversely affected by prenatal exposure to alcohol; and

 

WHEREAS, there are estimated to be 53,000 individuals in Arizona significantly affected by prenatal exposure to alcohol; and

 

WHEREAS, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) are a major factor in numerous social disorders, including learning disabilities, juvenile delinquency, school drop-outs, homelessness, unemployment, mental illness, and crime; and

 

WHEREAS, economists estimate that Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders cost Arizonans more than $139 million each year; and

 

WHEREAS, thirty years have passed since FAS was identified and named as a birth disorder by United States researchers, and

 

WHEREAS, the rate of heavy drinking during pregnancy, after rising sharply in the early 1990’s, has not decreased, and

 

WHEREAS, people around the world began observing International FAS Day on September 9 each year beginning in 1999, in order that on the ninth day of the ninth month of the year, the world will remember that during the nine months of pregnancy a woman should abstain from alcohol,

 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Janet Napolitano, Governor of the State of Arizona, do hereby proclaim September 9, 2003 as

 

*FASD AWARENESS DAY*

 

in Arizona, to promote awareness of the effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol, to increase compassion for those individuals so affected, to minimize further effects, to ensure healthier communities across Arizona in the future.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of the State of Arizona

 

______________________________

Janet Napolitano

GOVERNOR

 

Done at the Capitol in Phoenix on this _____ Day of _________________ in the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Three.

 

 

ATTTEST:

 

______________________________

Secretary of State