Phila. Mayor John F. Street Issues
Proclamation on Sleep Awareness

PHILADELPHIA (April 7, 2003) ­ Philadelphia Mayor John F. Street issued a proclamation designating Sleep Awareness Week and Sleep Apnea Awareness Day.

Mayor Street issued the proclamation at the request of Councilman Richard T. Mariano (7th) requested the Mayor's office for help in securing the proclamation.

Councilman Mariano said he is committed to helping educate his constituents "about problems and issues, including apnea, especially because more than an estimated 92,000 Philadelphians remain undiagnosed. It is a pleasure to recognize Sleep Apnea Day. It is my sincere hope that policymakers and employers will recognize the effects of Sleep Apnea and create policies that assist individuals living with sleep apnea on a daily basis."

Mayor Street's proclamation follows on the heels of two similar proclamations. Those proclamations were Senate Resolution 57, which designated April 2 through April 9, 2003 as the third annual Pennsylvania "Sleep Awareness Week" and April 9, 2003 as the third annual Pennsylvania "Sleep Apnea Awareness Day." Governor Edward G. Rendell also issued a proclamation declaring Sleep Awareness Week and Sleep Apnea Awareness Day, saying he encourages "greater awareness of the potential risks of sleep deprivation and support the efforts of Awake In Philly to educate the public about" sleep disorders.

Awake In Philly's big event during this third annual Pennsylvania Sleep Awareness Week was a forum geared toward medical professionals and transportation industry officials, called "Sleep and Surface Transportation," held on April 2, 2003. World-renowned sleep researcher Dr. Allan I. Pack, from the University of Pennsylvania was the keynote speaker at the forum. He was joined by Bob Johns, Executive Director of the Bucks County Highway Safety Program; Larry Bucci, a Pennsylvania Dept. of Transportation (PennDOT) District 6-0 safety engineer; and Dr. Stephen Jenner, a Human Performance Accident Investigator in Washington, D.C. for the National Transportation Safety Board.

For Sleep Apnea Awareness Day, Awake In Philly is hosting a meeting on "Sleep Disorder Symptoms Unraveled," where the speaker will be Dr. Charles R. Cantor, medical director of the Penn Sleep Centers, serves as medical director of the affiliated Pennsylvania Hospital Sleep Disorders Center, as well as a neurological consultant to the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Sleep Disorders. He is also a clinical assistant professor of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

An image of the Mayor Street's proclamation may be viewed, in PDF format, at:
http://www.AwakeInPhilly.org/Awareness/2003GovProc.gif (file size: 212k )

Contact Dave Jackson at:
PhillyAwake@scoop0901.net