[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 298 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 298

    Supporting the goals and ideals of National Public Health Week.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 8, 2021

  Ms. Roybal-Allard (for herself, Mr. Wittman, Mr. McGovern, and Mr. 
Simpson) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    Supporting the goals and ideals of National Public Health Week.

Whereas the week of April 5, 2021, is National Public Health Week;
Whereas the theme for National Public Health Week in 2021 is ``Building Bridges 
        to Better Health'';
Whereas the goal of National Public Health Week in 2021 is to recognize the 
        contributions of public health in--

    (1) improving the health of the people of the United States; and

    (2) achieving health equity;

Whereas, as of the date of introduction of this resolution, the United States 
        and the global community are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, which 
        requires support for--

    (1) a robust public health infrastructure and workforce;

    (2) State, territorial, local, and Tribal health departments, health 
care workers, public health laboratories, and first responders;

    (3) diagnostic testing of new and potential COVID-19 cases and 
activities related to epidemiology and public health data;

    (4) complying with appropriate social distancing and quarantine 
recommendations;

    (5) relieving financial burdens for individuals in the United States 
hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic, including public health emergency leave;

    (6) State Medicaid programs and community health centers to ensure care 
for vulnerable populations;

    (7) collaboration among the Federal Government, State and local 
governments, schools, businesses, and employers to support public health 
measures to decrease community spread of COVID-19;

    (8) investments in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
which support infectious disease outbreak preparedness and critical public 
health infrastructure for State and local health departments and public 
health laboratories;

    (9) a comprehensive effort to ensure a successful COVID-19 vaccination 
campaign that boosts access to vaccines for vulnerable populations and 
trust in vaccine safety and effectiveness; and

    (10) efforts to address racism as a public health crisis and reduce 
racial and ethnic health disparities related to COVID-19 deaths, vaccine 
access and testing, and important health outcomes outside of the pandemic 
such as maternal mortality;

Whereas, in 2020, the life expectancy for the population of the United States 
        dropped a full year, which is the largest drop in life expectancy since 
        1943;
Whereas many of the leading causes of death for individuals in the United States 
        result from chronic conditions, which are among the most common, costly, 
        and preventable of all health challenges;
Whereas there are significant differences in the health status of individuals 
        living in the most healthy States and those living in the least healthy 
        States, including differences in obesity rates, the prevalence of 
        chronic disease, and the prevalence of infectious disease;
Whereas racial and ethnic minority populations in the United States continue to 
        experience disparities in the burden of illness and death, as compared 
        with the entire population of the United States;
Whereas violence is a leading cause of premature death, and it is estimated that 
        more than 7 individuals per hour die a violent death in the United 
        States;
Whereas deaths from homicides cost the economy of the United States billions of 
        dollars, and the violence of homicides can cause social and emotional 
        distress, community trauma, injury, disability, depression, anxiety, and 
        post-traumatic stress disorder;
Whereas emergency department visits for suicidal thoughts or self-harm increased 
        25.5 percent between January 2017 and December 2018, with substantial 
        increases occurring in younger age groups;
Whereas an estimated 1 in 7 children in the United States experiences child 
        abuse and neglect, which imposes an annual lifetime economic burden of 
        approximately $428,000,000,000 on the population of the United States;
Whereas despite significant progress in reducing the infant mortality rate in 
        the United States to a historic low of 5.8 infant deaths per 1,000 live 
        births in 2017, the infant mortality rate in the United States greatly 
        varies among States;
Whereas women die from pregnancy-related complications in the United States at a 
        higher rate than in many other developed countries, and an estimated 60 
        percent of maternal deaths in the United States are preventable;
Whereas Black mothers experience a maternal mortality rate 3 to 4 times higher 
        than White mothers;
Whereas 81,000 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United States during a 12-
        month period ending May 2020, the highest level ever recorded during a 
        12-month period;
Whereas cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death 
        in the United States, accounting for more than 480,000 deaths every 
        year, including more than 41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke;
Whereas the percentage of adults in the United States who smoke cigarettes has 
        decreased from 20.9 percent of the population in 2005 to 13.7 percent of 
        the population in 2018;
Whereas according to data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey, in 2020, 19.6 
        percent of high school students (3.02 million) and 4.7 percent of middle 
        school students (550,000) reported current e-cigarette use;
Whereas data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey showed that, in 2020, almost 
        40 percent of high school users were using an e-cigarette on 20 or more 
        days out of the month and almost a quarter of them used e-cigarettes 
        every day, indicating a strong dependence on nicotine among youth;
Whereas in the past two decades, heat-related mortality for older persons has 
        almost doubled, reaching a record high 19,000 deaths in 2018;
Whereas, in 2018-2019, the United States spent nearly $13 per person on climate 
        change adaptation in the health sector, far less than what is needed to 
        prevent the growing health impacts of climate change;
Whereas, in 2016, fine particulate air pollution led to more than 64,000 
        premature deaths in the United States, and Black and Hispanic minorities 
        were disproportionately impacted;
Whereas public health organizations use National Public Health Week to educate 
        public policymakers and public health professionals on issues that are 
        important to improving the health of the people of the United States;
Whereas studies show that small strategic investments in disease prevention can 
        result in significant savings in health care costs;
Whereas vaccination is one of the most significant public health achievements in 
        history and has resulted in substantial decreases in--

    (1) the number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths associated with 
vaccine-preventable diseases; and

    (2) health care costs associated with vaccine-preventable diseases;

Whereas each 10 percent increase in local public health spending contributes to 
        a--

    (1) 6.9 percent decrease in infant deaths;

    (2) 3.2 percent decrease in deaths related to cardiovascular disease;

    (3) 1.4 percent decrease in deaths due to diabetes; and

    (4) 1.1 percent decrease in cancer-related deaths;

Whereas public health professionals help communities prevent, prepare for, 
        mitigate, and recover from the impact of a full range of health threats, 
        including--

    (1) disease outbreaks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic;

    (2) natural disasters, such as wildfires, flooding, and severe storms; 
and

    (3) other disasters, including disasters caused by human activity and 
public health emergencies;

Whereas public health professionals collaborate with partners outside of the 
        health sector, including city planners, transportation officials, 
        education officials, and private sector businesses, recognizing that 
        other sectors can influence health outcomes;
Whereas in communities across the United States, individuals are changing the 
        way they care for their health by avoiding tobacco use, eating 
        healthier, increasing physical activity, and preventing unintentional 
        injuries at home and in the workplace; and
Whereas efforts to adequately support public health and the prevention of 
        disease and injury can continue to transform a health system focused on 
        treating illness into a health system focused on preventing disease and 
        injury and promoting wellness: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the goals and ideals of National Public Health 
        Week;
            (2) recognizes the efforts of public health professionals, 
        the Federal Government, States, Tribes, municipalities, local 
        communities, and individuals in preventing disease and injury;
            (3) recognizes the role of public health in--
                    (A) preventing and responding to infectious disease 
                outbreaks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic;
                    (B) mitigating short-term and long-term impacts of 
                infectious disease outbreaks on the health and wellness 
                of individuals in the United States;
                    (C) addressing social and other determinants of 
                health, including health disparities experienced by 
                minority populations; and
                    (D) improving the overall health of individuals and 
                communities in the United States;
            (4) encourages increased efforts and resources to--
                    (A) improve the health of individuals in the United 
                States; and
                    (B) make the United States, in 1 generation, the 
                healthiest Nation in the world by--
                            (i) providing greater opportunities to 
                        improve community health and prevent disease 
                        and injury; and
                            (ii) strengthening the public health system 
                        and workforce in the United States; and
            (5) encourages the people of the United States to learn 
        about the role of the public health system in improving health 
        across the United States.
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