[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 632 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 632

    Supporting the goals and ideals of National Public Health Week.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 10, 2024

Mr. Lujan 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 1, 2024, is National Public Health Week;
Whereas the theme for National Public Health Week in 2024 is ``Protecting, 
        Connecting and Thriving: We Are All Public Health'';
Whereas the goal of National Public Health Week in 2024 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 continuing to recover from 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) activities related to epidemiology and public health data;

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

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

    (6) collaboration among the Federal Government, State and local 
governments, Tribal health organizations, schools, businesses, and 
employers to support public health measures;

    (7) 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;

    (8) a comprehensive effort to ensure successful vaccination campaigns 
that boost access to vaccines for vulnerable populations and trust in 
vaccine safety and effectiveness; and

    (9) 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 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 diseases, and the prevalence of infectious diseases;
Whereas racial and ethnic minority populations in the United States continue to 
        experience disparities in the burdens 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 49,449 people died by suicide in 2022, with firearms being used in over 
        50 percent of suicides;
Whereas an estimated 1 in 7 children in the United States experienced child 
        abuse and neglect in the past year, with 1,750 children dying of abuse 
        and neglect in 2020;
Whereas significant progress has been made 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 2022;
Whereas there are still stark disparities in infant mortality by race, 
        ethnicity, geography, and income, as evidenced by the fact that Black 
        infants experience infant mortality at a rate twice that of White 
        infants;
Whereas women die from pregnancy-related complications in the United States at a 
        higher rate than in many other developed countries, with the rate of 
        maternal mortality being 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2021;
Whereas an estimated 84 percent of maternal deaths in the United States are 
        preventable;
Whereas, from 2017 to 2019, American Indian or Alaskan Native mothers 
        experienced maternal mortality at a rate twice that of White mothers, 
        and Black mothers experienced maternal mortality at a rate almost 3 
        times that of White mothers;
Whereas there were an estimated 107,622 drug overdose deaths in 2021, an 
        increase of nearly 15 percent from 2020;
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;
Whereas the percentage of adults in the United States who smoke cigarettes has 
        decreased from 20.9 percent of the population in 2005, to 11.5 percent 
        of the population in 2021;
Whereas e-cigarettes have been the most commonly used tobacco product among 
        youth since 2014, with 10.0 percent of high school students reporting e-
        cigarette use in 2023;
Whereas, in 2020, there were approximately 32,000 deaths in the United States 
        due to exposure to particulate matter, 37 percent of which were directly 
        related to fossil fuel burning;
Whereas heat-related mortality for people over 65 is estimated to have increased 
        by approximately 74 percent from 2000 through 2004 compared to 2017 
        through 2021;
Whereas voting helps shape the conditions in which people can be healthy, and 
        good health is consistently associated positively with higher likelihood 
        of voter participation, but only 52.2 percent of eligible adults 
        reported voting in the November 2022 elections;
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 the vaccination of the public 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 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 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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