Ohio House Passes Bill Designating "Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Week"

The Ohio House of Representatives yesterday passed House Bill 105. The bill designates the calendar week including the 17th day of July as “Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Week.”

A congenital diaphragmatic hernia is a birth defect that prevents lung growth. It occurs when the diaphragm, which is the breathing muscle that separates the chest from the abdomen, develops a hole and allows abdominal organs to move into the chest cavity.

CDH affects 1 in every 2,500 babies, with only a 50- to 75-percent survival rate. Surgery is required for treatment in all cases, and on average babies stay in the hospital for up to three months, depending on the development of the lungs.

“This birth abnormality has touched our family,” said State Representative Bill Hayes (R-Harrison Twp.), who sponsored the bill. “The real supermen and women who are to be applauded are the parents who deal with the sometimes long-term after effects of CDH and, also, those who choose as their life’s profession the treatment of these helpless infants who only have a 50/50 chance of survival. Awareness is key. If your baby has this condition at birth, you want to be near superior medical treatment centers.”

The bill will now be sent to the Ohio Senate.