[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 693 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 693

  Expressing support for the designation of September 9 as ``National 
    African Immigrant and Refugee HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis Awareness 
                            (NAIRHHA) Day''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 18, 2023

    Mr. Johnson of Georgia (for himself, Ms. Velazquez, Ms. Lee of 
 California, Ms. Adams, Ms. Sewell, Ms. Clarke of New York, Ms. Wilson 
 of Florida, Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick, Ms. Crockett, Ms. Pressley, Mr. 
   Green of Texas, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, and Ms. 
  Williams of Georgia) submitted the following resolution; which was 
            referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing support for the designation of September 9 as ``National 
    African Immigrant and Refugee HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis Awareness 
                            (NAIRHHA) Day''.

Whereas the number of African immigrants and refugees living in the United 
        States has increased by 500 percent between 1980 and 2016, and these 
        communities are expected to continue growing at a high rate: United 
        States census data have shown that the population of African immigrants 
        has grown by 71 percent from 2001 to 2016 alone;
Whereas HIV infection rates are 6 times higher in the African immigrant 
        population than in the general United States population, and are nearly 
        twice those of United States-born Black individuals;
Whereas African immigrants face the highest average chronic hepatitis B rates in 
        the country, with approximately 10 percent of these communities living 
        with hepatitis B;
Whereas HIV and hepatitis B and C are preventable and treatable conditions, and 
        with appropriate attention and focus, health outcomes among African 
        immigrant communities can be improved and lives can be saved;
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that 
        individuals born in Africa, or individuals born in the United States who 
        have at least one parent born in Africa, who were not vaccinated at 
        birth, should be prioritized for hepatitis B testing;
Whereas African immigrant communities face significant challenges to HIV and 
        viral hepatitis testing, care, and treatment, and though they have high 
        rates of infection, they have low rates of diagnosis and care;
Whereas challenges to HIV and viral hepatitis testing, care, and treatment 
        include stigma, fear, lack of awareness and knowledge, language 
        barriers, traditional values and social norms, and limited access to 
        health care services, and there also exists a need for providers and 
        services to be culturally and linguistically appropriate to better meet 
        the needs of African immigrants, in keeping with the National Standards 
        for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in Health 
        and Health Care, which describe a framework to deliver services that are 
        culturally and linguistically appropriate and respectful, and that 
        respond to patients' cultural health beliefs, preferences, and 
        communication needs;
Whereas immigration status is also associated with fear of health facilities, 
        low acculturation and unfamiliarity navigating complex health care 
        systems, social and economic marginalization, fear of deportation, and a 
        lower rate of health insurance, all posing considerable barriers to the 
        health of African immigrants and refugees living in the United States;
Whereas NAIRHHA Day is a day aimed toward bringing local and national attention 
        to the health issues of HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis in African 
        immigrant and refugee populations in the United States, in a way that is 
        culturally and linguistically appropriate, and by addressing some of the 
        unique issues that African immigrants in the United States face through 
        awareness, education, and resources, NAIRHHA Day will help empower 
        communities to take charge of their own health;
Whereas the objectives of NAIRHHA Day include raising awareness and eliminating 
        stigma; education about protection against HIV, viral hepatitis, and 
        other related diseases; placing control back within the community by 
        encouraging screenings and treatment, as well as hepatitis B 
        vaccination; and advocating for policies and practices that promote 
        healthy African immigrant communities, families, and individuals;
Whereas no existing HIV/AIDS awareness day addresses the distinct factors 
        influencing the high rates of HIV and viral hepatitis in African 
        immigrants and refugees, groups which are often overlooked or 
        misclassified as ``Black'' or ``African American'' in HIV surveillance 
        programs, due to not collecting or reporting on information about 
        country of origin;
Whereas with the rapid population rise of African immigrants in the United 
        States, it is critical to raise awareness among health care and social 
        service providers and among African immigrant and refugee communities 
        about the risk of viral hepatitis and HIV/AIDS, their potential 
        consequences, and opportunities for prevention, diagnosis, and 
        treatment, and as African immigrants become long-term United States 
        residents, it will be increasingly important to provide screening, 
        prevention, and treatment of chronic and infectious diseases with a 
        culturally sensitive approach;
Whereas building capacity within communities to promote knowledge, treatment, 
        and prevention of HIV and viral hepatitis contributes greatly to the 
        sustainability of the NAIRHHA Day initiative, for, as communities 
        increase their capacity to respond to the ``silent epidemics'' of HIV 
        and viral hepatitis, they will develop their own resources to continue 
        this work; and
Whereas by encouraging more people to get tested and seek treatment, NAIRHHA Day 
        is aiding those who suffer now and preventing others from contracting 
        these transmissible diseases, and by trying to lessen, if not remove, 
        the stigma behind HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis, NAIRHHA Day is 
        facilitating community building and communication: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the designation of ``National African 
        Immigrant and Refugee HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis Awareness 
        (NAIRHHA) Day'';
            (2) recognizes the importance of dedicating more attention 
        and resources to addressing HIV/AIDS and viral hepatitis in 
        African immigrant and refugee communities across the United 
        States; and
            (3) encourages a commitment to reducing new viral hepatitis 
        and HIV infections and hepatitis B and C- and HIV-related 
        deaths through more robust screening, vaccination, and linkage 
        to treatment and care in African immigrant and refugee 
        communities.
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