CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

99

Introduced by Assembly Member Sharp-Collins

August 3, 2026

Relative to Sepsis Awareness Month.

Fiscal committee: no

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

This measure would proclaim September 2026 as Sepsis Awareness Month in California.

WHEREAS, September has been nationally recognized as Sepsis Awareness Month by Sepsis Alliance to bring awareness to sepsis, the body’s life-threatening response to infection, which can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death; and

WHEREAS, Sepsis affects 1.7 million Americans and takes the lives of 350,000 adults in the United States every year; and

WHEREAS, Each year, more than 75,000 children in the United States develop severe sepsis and 6,800 of these children die; and

WHEREAS, Sepsis is the number one cost of hospitalization in the United States, with costs for acute sepsis hospitalization and skilled nursing estimated to be $62 billion annually; and

WHEREAS, On average, sepsis survivors have a shortened life expectancy, are more likely to suffer from an impaired quality of life, and often experience after-effects, including postsepsis syndrome and 14,000 amputations per year in the United States; and

WHEREAS, Communities that have historically lacked access to high-quality health care experience a disproportionate burden of sepsis-related suffering; and

WHEREAS, Sepsis is the second-leading cause of pregnancy-related mortality in the United States; and

WHEREAS, The growing problem of antimicrobial resistance is steadily increasing the frequency of sepsis cases; and

WHEREAS, Despite the severe danger and widespread occurrence of this illness, a survey conducted by Sepsis Alliance found that less than 15 percent of United States adults can identify the symptoms of sepsis; and

WHEREAS, The signs of sepsis can be remembered with the mnemonic “TIME,” which stands for temperature, infection, mental decline, and extremely ill; and

WHEREAS, Awareness of the signs and symptoms of sepsis along with rapid diagnosis and treatment can save lives and improve outcomes for sepsis survivors; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature proclaims September 2026 as Sepsis Awareness Month in California; and be it further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.