[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 90 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 90

 Designating February 2015 as ``American Heart Month'' and February 6, 
                  2015, as ``National Wear Red Day''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 26, 2015

Ms. Hirono (for herself, Ms. Murkowski, Mrs. Capito, Ms. Heitkamp, Mrs. 
    Feinstein, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Warren, Mrs. Boxer, Ms. 
  Stabenow, Ms. Mikulski, Ms. Cantwell, Ms. Collins, Ms. Ayotte, Mrs. 
 Shaheen, Mrs. Murray, Mrs. Fischer, and Ms. Klobuchar) submitted the 
        following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Designating February 2015 as ``American Heart Month'' and February 6, 
                  2015, as ``National Wear Red Day''.

Whereas heart disease affects men, women, and children of every age and race in 
        the United States;
Whereas heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the United 
        States, taking the lives of approximately 600,000 individuals in the 
        United States each year and accounting for 1 in 4 deaths in the United 
        States;
Whereas congenital heart defects are the most common birth defect in the United 
        States, as well as the leading killer of infants with birth defects;
Whereas more than 1 in 3 adult men and women have some form of cardiovascular 
        disease;
Whereas every year an estimated 735,000 individuals in the United States have a 
        heart attack;
Whereas heart disease and stroke account for $320,000,000,000 in health care 
        expenditures and lost productivity annually;
Whereas heart disease and stroke will account for $918,000,000,000 in health 
        care expenditures and lost productivity annually by 2030;
Whereas individuals in the United States have made great progress in reducing 
        the death rate for coronary heart disease, but this progress has been 
        more modest with respect to such death rate of women and minorities;
Whereas many people do not recognize that heart disease is the number 1 killer 
        of women in the United States, taking the lives of more than 290,000 
        such women in 2010, and nearly 2/3 of women who unexpectedly die of 
        heart disease have no previous symptoms of disease;
Whereas nearly half of all African-American adults have some form of 
        cardiovascular disease, including 48 percent of African-American women 
        and 46 percent of African-American men;
Whereas many minority women, including African-American, Hispanic, Asian-
        American, and Native-American women and women from indigenous 
        populations, have a greater prevalence of risk factors or are at a 
        higher risk of death from heart disease, stroke, and other 
        cardiovascular diseases, but such women are less likely to know of this 
        risk;
Whereas between 1965 and 2015, treatment of cardiovascular disease for women has 
        largely been based on medical research on men;
Whereas due to the differences in heart disease between males and females, more 
        research and data on the effects of heart disease treatments for women 
        is vital;
Whereas extensive clinical and statistical studies have identified major and 
        contributing factors that increase the risk of heart disease;
Whereas the major risk factors, identified by such studies, include high blood 
        pressure, high blood cholesterol, smoking tobacco products, exposure to 
        tobacco smoke, physical inactivity, obesity, and diabetes mellitus;
Whereas an individual can greatly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease 
        through lifestyle modification coupled with medical treatment when 
        necessary;
Whereas greater awareness and early detection of risk factors of heart disease 
        can improve and save the lives of thousands of individuals in the United 
        States each year;
Whereas under the Joint Resolution entitled ``Joint Resolution to provide for 
        the designation of the month of February in each year as `American Heart 
        Month''', approved December 30, 1963 (36 U.S.C. 101), Congress requested 
        that the President issue an annual proclamation designating February as 
        ``American Heart Month'';
Whereas the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes 
        of Health, the American Heart Association, and many other organizations 
        celebrate ``National Wear Red Day'' during February by ``going red'' to 
        increase awareness about heart disease as the leading killer of women; 
        and
Whereas every year since 1964, the President has issued a proclamation 
        designating the month of February as ``American Heart Month'': Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) supports the goals and ideals of ``American Heart 
        Month'' and ``National Wear Red Day'';
            (2) recognizes and reaffirms the commitment in the United 
        States to fighting heart disease and stroke by--
                    (A) promoting awareness about the causes, risks, 
                and prevention of heart disease and stroke;
                    (B) supporting research on heart disease and 
                stroke; and
                    (C) expanding access to medical treatment;
            (3) commends the efforts of States, territories and 
        possessions of the United States, localities, nonprofit 
        organizations, businesses, and other entities, and the people 
        of the United States who support ``American Heart Month'' and 
        ``National Wear Red Day''; and
            (4) encourages every individual in the United States to 
        learn about their individual risk for heart disease.
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