Pressure Injury Prevention Day

Proclamation
By the Governor of Alabama
WHEREAS, pressure injuries (bedsores) claim the lives of over 60,000 people each year and cost the United States healthcare system over $11 billion annually; and
WHEREAS, preventative measures can help reduce the high incidence of pressure injuries and the substantial pain associated with pressure-related injuries that may develop into ulcers, which has a high percentage of causing death; and
WHEREAS, healthcare costs between 2007 and 2012 increased by 17.64 percent as a direct result of pressure injuries; and
WHEREAS, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services noted that no other preventable event occurs as frequently as pressure-related injuries; and
WHEREAS, by preventing pressure injuries, the State of Alabama can save money on unnecessary healthcare costs that are often avoidable if proper actions are taken:
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Kay Ivey, Governor of Alabama, do hereby proclaim November 16, 2017, as
Pressure Injury Prevention Day
in the State of Alabama. I encourage all Alabamians to recognize that pressure injuries are preventable, and we can all play a role in stopping them from occurring.
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 1st day of September 2017.
Kay Ivey
Governor