[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1359 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1359

Supporting the goals and ideals of National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing 
               and Awareness Day, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 21, 2008

  Ms. Waters (for herself, Mrs. Christensen, Ms. Lee, Ms. Solis, Ms. 
 Bordallo, Mr. Waxman, Ms. Norton, Mr. Jefferson, Mr. Moore of Kansas, 
 Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mr. Towns, Mr. Doggett, Mrs. Jones of Ohio, Ms. 
 Baldwin, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. 
Linda T. Sanchez of California, Ms. Corrine Brown of Florida, Mr. Rush, 
Ms. McCollum of Minnesota, Ms. Loretta Sanchez of California, Mr. Baca, 
   Mr. Meeks of New York, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Sires, and Mr. Carson) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                         on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Supporting the goals and ideals of National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing 
               and Awareness Day, and for other purposes.

Whereas HIV/AIDS is a devastating epidemic that continues to spread in 
        communities throughout the United States;
Whereas approximately 1,700,000 people in the United States have been infected 
        by HIV/AIDS since the first cases were reported 27 years ago;
Whereas there are approximately 1,200,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in the 
        United States today;
Whereas there are approximately 40,000 new HIV infections and more than 14,000 
        new AIDS-related deaths every year in the United States;
Whereas HIV/AIDS is spreading rapidly among women, young people, and racial 
        minorities, all of which are demographic groups that were not considered 
        to be at significant risk of HIV infection during the early years of the 
        epidemic;
Whereas women account for 27 percent of new AIDS cases in the United States, and 
        teen girls account for 43 percent of new AIDS cases among teenagers;
Whereas African-Americans account for about half of new AIDS cases, although 
        only 12 percent of the population as a whole is black;
Whereas Hispanic-Americans account for 19 percent of new AIDS cases, although 
        only 15 percent of the population as a whole is Hispanic;
Whereas Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders account for 1 percent of new AIDS 
        cases, and Native Americans and Alaskan Natives account for up to 1 
        percent of new AIDS cases;
Whereas African-American women account for 66 percent of new AIDS cases among 
        women;
Whereas 70 percent of new AIDS cases are people of color;
Whereas about 1 in 4 of the people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States do 
        not know they are infected;
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidelines for HIV 
        screening in healthcare settings recommend routine HIV testing for all 
        patients between the ages of 13 and 64, regardless of risk factors;
Whereas individuals are more likely to act responsibly and protect themselves 
        and other persons in the community when they know their HIV status;
Whereas encouraging people to be tested for HIV is a critical element in HIV/
        AIDS prevention and treatment efforts;
Whereas individuals who are HIV-positive must learn of their status in order to 
        obtain counseling on managing their health, access appropriate medical 
        and social services, begin life-prolonging treatment, and take actions 
        to avoid spreading the virus to others;
Whereas physicians, physician's assistants, nurses, dentists, and other 
        clinicians play a vital role in providing access to HIV/AIDS awareness, 
        testing, treatment, and referral services, and in encouraging patients 
        to get tested for HIV;
Whereas the National Minority AIDS Education and Training Center (NMAETC), the 
        National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) and the Communities 
        Advocating Emergency AIDS Relief (CAEAR) Foundation declared Monday, 
        July 21, 2008, to be the first annual National Clinicians HIV/AIDS 
        Testing and Awareness Day;
Whereas NMAETC is a national collaborative network of clinicians and experts 
        that provides capacity-building assistance and related support to 
        improve the HIV-related primary care services available in minority 
        communities;
Whereas NMAETC is headquartered at Howard University's College of Medicine in 
        the District of Columbia and is comprised of 5 sites located at 
        minority-serving institutions across the United States, as well as a 
        premier data collection and management site housed at the University of 
        Maryland;
Whereas NAPWA is a national network of people living with HIV/AIDS that 
        advocates on behalf of all people living with HIV and AIDS in order to 
        end the epidemic and the human suffering caused by HIV/AIDS;
Whereas the CAEAR Foundation advances effective care and support for people 
        living with HIV/AIDS by providing training, technical assistance, and 
        research to organizations and communities;
Whereas the first annual National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and Awareness Day 
        will give all physicians, physician assistants, nurses, dentists, and 
        other clinicians an opportunity to get personally involved in the fight 
        against HIV/AIDS by taking an HIV test, personally demonstrating the 
        importance as well as the ease of HIV testing;
Whereas the National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and Awareness Day will be a 
        call to action to clinicians nationwide to lead the way in dispelling 
        the myths and stigma associated with HIV testing and become vocal 
        advocates for patients and communities; and
Whereas the National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and Awareness Day will 
        encourage clinicians to become actively involved in HIV/AIDS awareness, 
        testing, treatment, and referral services: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the goals and ideals of the first annual 
        National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and Awareness Day;
            (2) encourages primary care physicians and other clinicians 
        nationwide to become actively involved in HIV/AIDS awareness, 
        testing, treatment, and referral services;
            (3) encourages the media to observe the first annual 
        National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and Awareness Day by 
        educating clinicians about the important role they play in 
        providing access to HIV/AIDS awareness, testing, treatment, and 
        referral services and by educating clinicians and the public 
        about the benefits of HIV testing; and
            (4) encourages individuals to get tested for HIV and 
        educate themselves about the prevention and treatment of HIV/
        AIDS.
                                 <all>