Colorado

1. Go to https://www.colorado.gov/governor/request-letter-proclamation-or-flag
2. For Subject* type “National Penicillin Allergy Day”.
3. For Dates Being Proclaimed* type “September 28, 2018”.
4. For Information About Organization/Group* your organization's Mission Statement may be a good fit. You can also include a link to your "About Us" page on your website, or similar.
5. Copy the Draft Proclamation (below) and paste into the box beside Sample Language of Proclamation*.
6. Fill out the fields in the Contact Information section with your personal details.
7. Click Submit.
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Draft Proclamation

Copy the text below in its entirety (including References) and paste into box beside Sample Language of Proclamation*

(TEMPLATE ONLY: PLEASE MODIFY TO YOUR NEEDS)

 

STATE OF COLORADO

PROCLAMATION

NATIONAL PENICILLIN ALLERGY DAY | SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

 

WHEREAS, penicillin is the most commonly reported drug allergy1 with 10% of all US patients—30 million Americans, or more than 554,000 Coloradans2—reporting having an allergic reaction to a penicillin-class antibiotic in their past1; and

WHEREAS, penicillin allergy history is often inaccurate, with research showing that 9 out of 10 patients reporting as penicillin allergic—about 27 million Americans, or nearly 500,000 Coloradans3—are not truly allergic to penicillin1; and

WHEREAS, inaccurate diagnosis of penicillin allergy can adversely impact medical costs for both patients and healthcare systems: research shows that antibiotic costs for patients reporting penicillin allergies are up to 63% higher than for those who do not report being penicillin-allergic4; and

WHEREAS, patients labeled penicillin-allergic have a threefold increased risk of adverse events (ADE).5 In the hospital setting, history of penicillin allergy translates to about 10% more hospital days, 30% higher incidence of VRE infections, 23% higher incidence of C difficile infections, and 14% higher incidence of MRSA infections6; and

WHEREAS, these adverse events occur because penicillin “allergic” patients are given more broad spectrum antibiotics4, which contributes to the public health problem of antibiotic resistance.6 There is a causal relationship between inappropriate antimicrobial use and resistance; changes in antimicrobial use lead to parallel changes in the prevalence of resistance.6 By some estimates, up to half of all hospitalized patients in the US receive antibiotics and up to half of antimicrobial use may be inappropriate7; and

WHEREAS, National Penicillin Allergy Day is being organized to raise awareness of false penicillin allergy and encourage the de-labeling of patients erroneously labeled penicillin-allergic by promoting penicillin allergy skin testing;

Therefore, I, John W. Hickenlooper, Governor of the entire State of Colorado, do hereby proclaim, forever after, September 28, 2018, as NATIONAL PENICILLIN ALLERGY DAY in the State of Colorado.

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References:

  1. Joint Task Force on Practice Parameters representing the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology; American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology; Joint Council of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Drug allergy: an updated practice parameter. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2010 Oct;105(4):259-273
  2. QuickFacts: Colorado. (n.d.). Retrieved August 15, 2017, from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/CO. Calculated by taking 10% of US Census Bureau population estimate for CO: (5,540,545 x .1 = 554,054)
  3. QuickFacts: Colorado. (n.d.). Retrieved August 15, 2017, from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/CO. Calculated by taking 9% (or 90% of 10%) of US Census Bureau population estimate for CO: (5,554,545 x .09 = 498,649)
  4. Macy, E. M., & Contreras, R. (2014). Healthcare Utilization and Serious Infection Prevalence Associated With Penicillin “Allergy” In Hospitalized Patients: A Cohort Study. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology,133(2). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2013.09.021
  5. Blumenthal, K. G., & Shenoy, E. S. (2016). Editorial Commentary: Fortune Favors the Bold: Give a Beta-Lactam! Clinical Infectious Diseases, 63(7), 911-913. doi:10.1093/cid/ciw467
  6. Dellit, TH, Owens, RC, McGowan JE, Jr et al. Infectious Disease Society of America and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America Guidelines for Developing Institutional Programs to Enhance Antimicrobial Stewardship. Clin Infect Dis. 2007;44-150-77.
  7. Owens, R. C., Fraser, G. L., & Stogsdill, P. (2004). Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs as a Means to Optimize Antimicrobial Use. Pharmacotherapy, 24(7), 896-908. doi:10.1592/phco.24.9.896.36101