[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 576 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 576

    Supporting the goals and ideals of National Public Health Week.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

               April 4 (legislative day, March 31), 2022

 Mr. Lujan (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Brown, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. 
 King, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Markey, Mr. Padilla, Ms. Smith, and Mr. Van 
 Hollen) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
          Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
    Supporting the goals and ideals of National Public Health Week.

Whereas the week of April 4, 2022, is designated as National Public Health Week 
        by the American Public Health Association;
Whereas the theme for National Public Health Week in 2022 is ``Public Health is 
        Where You Are'';
Whereas the goal of National Public Health Week in 2022 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 through public health emergency 
leave;

    (6) the Medicaid programs and community health centers of States 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 that 
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 at birth for the population of the United 
        States declined by 1.5 years, 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 healthiest 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 
        to 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 more than 47,500 lives were lost due to suicide in 2019, and in May 
        2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency department visits for 
        suspected suicide attempts began to increase among adolescents aged 12 
        to 17 years, especially among girls;
Whereas an estimated 1 in 7 children in the United States experience child abuse 
        and neglect, and 1,840 children died of abuse and neglect in 2019;
Whereas, despite significant progress in reducing the infant mortality rate in 
        the United States to a historic low of 5.6 infant deaths per 1,000 live 
        births in 2019, the infant mortality rate in the United States still 
        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 there were an estimated 100,306 drug overdose deaths in the United 
        States during the 12-month period ending in April 2021, the highest 
        level ever recorded during a 12-month period and an increase of 28.5 
        percent from the 78,056 deaths during the same period the prior year;
Whereas cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death 
        in the United States, accounting for more than 480,000 deaths each 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 in 2005 to 13.7 percent in 2018;
Whereas, in 2020, according to data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey, 19.6 
        percent of high school students (3,020,000 students) and 4.7 percent of 
        middle school students (550,000 students) reported current e-cigarette 
        use;
Whereas data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey showed that in 2020 
        approximately 40 percent of high school e-cigarette users were using an 
        e-cigarette on 20 or more days of the month, and approximately \1/4\ of 
        high school e-cigarette users were using e-cigarettes every day, 
        indicating a strong dependence on nicotine among youth;
Whereas, in the past 2 decades, heat-related mortality for older individuals has 
        almost doubled, reaching a record high of approximately 19,000 deaths in 
        2018;
Whereas, from 2018 to 2019, the United States spent approximately $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 
        individuals in the United States were disproportionately impacted;
Whereas voting helps shape the conditions in which people can be healthy, and 
        good health is consistently positively associated with higher likelihood 
        of voter participation;
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--

    (1) a 6.9-percent decrease in infant deaths;

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

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

    (4) a 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 Senate--
            (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--
                    (A) to improve the health of individuals in the 
                United States; and
                    (B) to make the United States, in 1 generation, the 
                healthiest country 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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