110 HRES 1359 IH: Supporting the goals and ideals of National U.S. House of Representatives 2008-07-21 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

110th CONGRESS 2d Session

H. RES. 1359

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. Sánchez 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

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.