THE BILL ITSELF
SR 1784
PSP Awareness Month
Florida Senate - 2026 (NP) SR 1784 By Senator Brodeur 10-02278A-26 20261784__
1
Senate Resolution
2
A resolution designating May 2026 as “PSP Awareness
3
Month” in Florida and recognizing the commitment of
4
patients, their families, and health care professions
5
to increase awareness and research regarding
6
progressive supranuclear palsy and other
7
neurodegenerative diseases.
9
WHEREAS, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is one of
10
many neurodegenerative brain disorders affecting the aging
11
population, causing progressive gait and balance difficulties,
12
frequent falls, ocular impairment, slow or stiff movement,
13
slurred speech, mood or behavioral changes, and cognitive
14
decline, and
15
WHEREAS, PSP is one of the most common forms of atypical
16
parkinsonism, based on more than 20 studies, with an estimated
17
prevalence in Florida of approximately 7 cases per 100,000
18
residents from 2015 to 2023, and the mean age of onset is
19
typically between 63 and 67 years of age, and
20
WHEREAS, neurodegenerative diseases include Alzheimer’s
21
disease; Parkinson’s disease; Huntington’s disease; amyotrophic
22
lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease; and
23
other disorders and forms of dementia, and
24
WHEREAS, in 2024, the Legislature passed CS/SB 186, the
25
“Justo R. Cortes Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Act,” which
26
directed the State Surgeon General to establish a policy
27
committee on PSP and other neurodegenerative diseases and to
28
have the committee submit a report of its findings to Governor
29
Ron DeSantis and the Legislature by January 4, 2026, and
30
WHEREAS, the policy committee’s findings include an
31
estimated direct medical cost for PSP in the United States of
32
$25.4 billion per year, along with estimated indirect and
33
nonmedical costs of $26.5 billion annually for such things as
34
missed work, lost wages, forced early retirement, and family
35
caregiver time, and
36
WHEREAS, PSP and Parkinson’s disease share similar
37
symptoms, resulting in misdiagnosis and potential delay in
38
critical care and support, and the policy committee concluded
39
that identification and early diagnosis of these disorders is
40
vital, and
41
WHEREAS, patients with these neurodegenerative diseases
42
have complex needs that require a multidisciplinary approach to
43
care involving physicians, nurses, rehabilitation specialists,
44
allied health providers, and caregivers, and
45
WHEREAS, the policy committee recommendations include
46
addressing the need to identify risk factors that would aid in
47
detection of the diseases, understanding how the diseases impact
48
residents, developing the standards of care necessary for
49
effective treatment, and crafting policy recommendations to help
50
improve patient and caregiver awareness of PSP and other
51
neurodegenerative diseases, and
52
WHEREAS, progress in addressing the devastating impact of
53
PSP and related conditions depends upon increasing the public’s
54
awareness of the diseases, as well as public health initiatives
55
to educate individuals about early symptoms, promoting more
56
intensive research efforts, and educating health care
57
practitioners on recognizing signs and symptoms related to PSP
58
and similar disorders, NOW, THEREFORE,
60
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
62
That the Senate designates May 2026 as “PSP Awareness
63
Month” in Florida and recognizes the commitment of patients,
64
their families, and health care professions to increase
65
awareness and research regarding progressive supranuclear palsy
66
and other neurodegenerative diseases.