Whereas cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes
are leading causes of death and disability in the United States, and cost
hundreds of billions of dollars in health services, medication, and lost
productivity each year;
Whereas many individuals experience more than one of these
health conditions simultaneously, increasing the probability that they will
develop additional related health conditions, experience complications as a
result of such conditions, or die prematurely;
Whereas cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes
are largely preventable and manageable through appropriate health education,
healthier lifestyle habits, proper adherence to medication and treatment
regimens, and routine utilization of primary care;
Whereas educational, cultural, social, genetic,
environmental, and economic factors (including inadequate access to quality
health care services) contribute to disproportionately high rates of
hypertension and diabetes among African-Americans, and to the increased risk of
complications, comorbidities, and death that accompany these conditions;
Whereas non-Hispanic Blacks living in the United States
have the highest prevalence of hypertension in the world;
Whereas non-Hispanic Blacks are the most likely to develop
diabetes and to suffer from the complications that can result from untreated or
unmanaged diabetes (including amputation, blindness, kidney failure, and
end-stage renal disease);
Whereas although non-Hispanic Blacks are less likely to be
diagnosed with heart disease, they are more likely than other groups in the
United States to—
(1)die from
cardiovascular disease; and
(2)experience
complications resulting from the disease;
Whereas African-American men are especially vulnerable to
the impacts of racial health disparities, as reflected by the fact that Black
men have the lowest average life expectancy of any group in the United
States;
Whereas a lack of trust, cultural barriers, and other
barriers to accessing routine primary care have prevented many Black men from
significantly benefitting from interventions and treatments that were designed
to diagnose, manage, and prevent cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and
hypertension;
Whereas culturally competent health education and delivery
methods are essential to—
(1)preventing and
combating racial health disparities; and
(2)maximizing the
effectiveness of current and future treatments and resources that are intended
to achieve and support better health in African-American communities;
Whereas historically, there have been few widespread,
well-funded, and well-known projects or institutions that use culturally
relevant and scientifically based strategies and models to focus on improving
health education, awareness, and outcomes for Black men;
Whereas Black-owned barbershops have served as cultural
institutions in the Black community for generations, regularly attract large
and diverse groups of Black men, and provide health advocates with an
opportunity to empower and educate Black men about health issues in a trusted
and familiar space;
Whereas in December 2007, the Diabetic Amputation
Prevention Foundation launched the Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program to
increase public awareness about cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and
hypertension among Black men by partnering with Black-owned barbershops, and
local leaders, facilities, and organizations, to provide culturally specific
education and health services to Black men;
Whereas the Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program
addresses cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes in Black men
by—
(1)providing
screening for hypertension and diabetes;
(2)disseminating
information on early detection, management, and prevention of such
conditions;
(3)producing
innovative and scientifically based research; and
(4)referring men to
facilities that can address additional health and medical needs;
Whereas the Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program
expanded its focus from hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease to include
prostate cancer, which African-American men are more likely to develop and die
from than any other group in the United States;
Whereas the Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program has
screened over 10,000 men in 230 Black-owned barbershops for diabetes,
hypertension, and prostate cancer across the country since December
2007;
Whereas the Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program plans
to screen 20,000 men in 2010 and 500,000 men by 2012;
Whereas the health status of family members and spouses of
Black men, and their environment, culture, and daily habits can—
(1)play a large role
in determining the risk that a Black man will develop cardiovascular disease,
hypertension, or diabetes; and
(2)provide
opportunities for executing sustainable solutions to these conditions;
and
Whereas the Black Barbershop Health Outreach Program will
also target Black-owned beauty shops to reach Black women, and take a holistic
approach to diagnosing, preventing, and managing cardiovascular disease,
hypertension, and diabetes in the Black community: Now, therefore, be it
That the House of Representatives—
(1)commends the Black
Barbershop Health Outreach Program for its valuable contribution to community
health and the national fight against racial health disparities;
(2)expresses the need
to support organizations, programs, and initiatives that—
(A)use culturally
relevant education and scientifically based research; and
(B)partner with local
networks and resources to empower individuals to become informed health
advocates in their communities; and
(3)expresses a
commitment to support community-oriented approaches to health reform in health
legislation and initiatives arising at both the State and Federal
levels.