[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 17 (Thursday, February 24, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 24, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                PREVENTING ILLNESS CRITICAL TO MINORITIES

                                 ______


                       HON. BARBARA-ROSE COLLINS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 24, 1994

  Miss COLLINS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing a bill 
authorizing model projects to provide what are called preventive health 
services for minorities. Preventive services are those designed to 
prevent or delay the onset of a health problem, in contrast to 
therapeutic services which treat a disease or condition.
  I am proposing this bill because the need for preventive services is 
greatest among minorities because of the alarmingly high rates of 
preventable disease and premature death. For example, black men have 
the highest rate of stroke among all population groups, with a death 
rate twice that of white men. Black women have three times the cervical 
cancer death rate of white women. Low-income and teenage women, a 
disproportionate number of whom are minorities, are at particular risk 
of having a low-birth-weight baby.
  This bill also recognizes that many preventive services do work. A 
recent Office of Technology Assessment study found the following, among 
others, to be effective: mammography in women over age 50; Pap smears 
for sexually active women; cholesterol and hypertension screening for 
certain individuals; and prenatal care for poor women.
  I offer this bill because minorities face far greater stresses than 
others and a successful demonstration in the minority community would 
offer hard proof of the viability of prevention programs in other 
populations.
  As the Congress debates health care access for all, I look forward to 
working with my colleagues toward enactment of this important measure, 
one that offers great hope to millions of minority Americans.

Summary of the Minority Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Act of 
                        1994--February 24, 1994

       The Minority Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Act 
     would authorize the U.S. Department of Health and Human 
     Services to award grants for demonstration projects to 
     provide preventive health and health promotion services to 
     minorities.
       Preventive health and health promotion services are defined 
     to include ``medical and medical-related services intended to 
     promote health maintenance, prevent illness, eliminate health 
     hazards, produce early detection of disease, and inhibit 
     deterioration of health.''
       The bill would require the Secretary to award grants to 
     entities serving at least 2 urban, distressed communities and 
     one rural community; the Secretary to evaluate projects on 
     the basis of their effectiveness in reducing the incidence of 
     disease and death, for renewal of grants; grantees to develop 
     a health assessment and health promotion/disease prevention 
     plan for each person served, in consultation with the person; 
     and grantees to contribute 30 percent of the total cost of 
     the project, unless waived by the Secretary upon 
     demonstration of extreme hardship.
       The bill authorizes $15 million for fiscal years 1995, 1996 
     and 1997.

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