[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 82 (Thursday, June 12, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1207-E1208]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     INTRODUCTION OF THE DISADVANTAGED MINORITY HEALTH IMPROVEMENT 
                         AMENDMENTS ACT OF 1997

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. LOUIS STOKES

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 12, 1997

  Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce the Disadvantaged 
Minority Health Improvement Amendments Act of 1997. This Important 
legislation reauthorizes the programs authorized by the enacted 
Disadvantaged Minority Health Improvement Act of 1990. This measure is 
as relevant today as it was in 1990--when I originally introduced it in 
the House, and Senator Kennedy, of Massachusetts, in the Senate.
  The measure that I am introducing today reauthorizes the health 
professions loans; scholarships; and fellowships for disadvantaged 
students; the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of 
Minority Health; the National Institutes of Health Office of Research 
on Minority Health; and the Minority Centers of Excellence programs.
  Mr. Speaker, I am sure you know the critical nature of this 
legislation. While every racial and ethnic group experiences some 
health disparity, minorities and other disadvantaged Americans continue 
to suffer disproportionately higher rates of death and disease. For 
example: 29 percent of all AIDS cases in the United States occur in 
African-Americans and 16 percent in Hispanic-Americans; and every year 
the African-American community experiences 70,000 excess deaths. These 
are

[[Page E1208]]

deaths among people who would not die if their life expectancy and 
death rates were the same as whites.
  This crisis in health care is compounded by the fact that there is a 
severe underrepresentation of minorities in the health professions. In 
fact, African-Americans and Hispanic-Americans represent only 3.2 and 
4.4 percent of our Nation's practicing physicians, respectively. There 
has also been very little growth in the number of minority medical 
school matriculants.
  It is important for Congress to realize that--in spite of this 
Nation's biomedical research advances and increasing ability to treat 
many chronic diseases, the disparity in the health status of minorities 
in the United States is continuing to deteriorate.
  My colleagues, it is against this backdrop of continued human pain 
and suffering that I introduce, and I ask that you lend your support to 
ensure--the enactment of the Disadvantaged Minority Health Improvement 
Authorization Extension Act of 1997.
  Mr. Speaker, the Disadvantaged Minority Health Improvement Act of 
1990 gave us the initial tools that are essential for ensuring an 
improved health status for all Americans. As the disparity in minority 
health continues to grow and as this disparity cannot be alleviated 
overnight, the rationale for the Disadvantaged Minority Health 
Improvement Act is as current and as essential today as it was 8 years 
ago. It is vitally important that these programs continue.
  Mr. Speaker, since the original enactment of this legislation, it has 
been tinkered with and changed statutorily four times. It is my 
preference to simply reauthorize these programs and allow them to 
continue their important work.
  Mr. Speaker, the Disadvantaged Minority Health Improvement 
Authorization Extension Act of 1997 is designed to ensure an improved 
health status for all Americans. The urgency of the enactment of this 
legislation is extremely pressing. This national health problem affects 
each of us and our communities, individually and collectively. 
Therefore, our joint commitment is required in order to alleviate it. I 
also strongly urge immediate action on this legislation, and I ask my 
colleagues to lend their strong support to the enactment of the 
Disadvantaged Minority Health Improvement Amendments Act of 1997.

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