[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 129 (Sunday, October 10, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11017-S11019]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 EXPRESSING SENSE OF SENATE WITH RESPECT TO PROSTATE CANCER INFORMATION

                                 ______
                                 

               NATIONAL VISITING NURSE ASSOCIATION MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                   NATIONAL RUNAWAY PREVENTION MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

EXPRESSING SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT IT IS APPROPRIATE TO ANNUALLY OBSERVE 
                       PATRIOT DAY, SEPTEMBER 11

                                 ______
                                 

    RECOGNIZING AND HONORING MILITARY UNIT FAMILY SUPPORT VOLUNTEERS

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolutions at the desk be discharged from their respective committees 
and the Senate proceed to their consideration, en bloc.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report the resolutions by 
title.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 389) expressing the sense of the 
     Senate with respect to prostate cancer information.
       A concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 8) designating the 
     second week in May each year as National Visiting Nurse 
     Association Week.
       A resolution (S. Res. 430) designating November 2004 as 
     National Runaway Prevention Month.
       A concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 486) recognizing and 
     honoring military unit family support volunteers for their 
     dedicated service to the United States, the Armed Forces, and 
     members of the Armed Forces and their families.
       A concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 473) expressing the 
     sense of Congress that it is appropriate to annually observe 
     Patriot Day, September 11, with voluntary acts of service and 
     compassion.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolutions.

[[Page S11018]]

  Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent that the amendments at the desk be 
agreed to; the resolutions, as amended, if amended, be agreed to; the 
preambles, as amended, if amended, be agreed to; the title amendment, 
where applicable, be agreed to; and the motions to reconsider be laid 
upon the table, all en bloc.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution (S. Res. 389), which was agreed to, as follows:

                              S. Res. 389

       Whereas in 2004, it is estimated that approximately 230,000 
     new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the United 
     States, and nearly 30,000 men in the United States will die 
     from prostate cancer;
       Whereas prostate cancer is the second leading cause of 
     cancer death in men in the United States;
       Whereas more than $4,700,000,000 is spent annually in the 
     United States in direct treatment costs for prostate cancer;
       Whereas African-American men are diagnosed with and die 
     from prostate cancer more frequently than men of other ethnic 
     backgrounds;
       Whereas increased education among health care providers and 
     patients regarding the need for prostate cancer screening 
     tests has resulted in the diagnosis of approximately 86 
     percent of prostate cancer patients before the cancerous 
     cells have spread appreciably beyond the prostate gland, 
     thereby enhancing the odds of successful treatment;
       Whereas the potential complication rates for significant 
     side effects vary among the most common forms of treatment 
     for prostate cancer;
       Whereas prostate cancer often strikes elderly people in the 
     United States, men should have an opportunity to learn about 
     the benefits and limitations of testing for prostate cancer 
     detection and of treatment of prostate cancer, so that they 
     can make an informed decision with the assistance of a 
     clinician; and
       Whereas Congress as a whole, and Members of Congress as 
     individuals, are in unique positions to support the fight 
     against prostate cancer, to help raise public awareness about 
     the need to make screening tests available to all people at 
     risk for prostate cancer, and to provide prostate cancer 
     patients with adequate information to assess the relative 
     benefits and risks of treatment options: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
       (1) national and community organizations and health care 
     providers have played a commendable role in supplying 
     information concerning the importance of screening for 
     prostate cancer and the treatment options for patients with 
     prostate cancer; and
       (2) the Federal Government and the States should ensure 
     that health care providers supply prostate cancer patients 
     with appropriate information and any other tools necessary 
     for prostate cancer patients to receive readily 
     understandable descriptions of the advantages, disadvantages, 
     benefits, and risks of all medically efficacious screening 
     and treatments for prostate cancer, including brachytherapy, 
     hormonal treatments, external beam radiation, chemotherapy, 
     surgery, and watchful waiting.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 8).
  The amendments (Nos. 4050 and 4051) were agreed to, as follows:


                           amendment no. 4050

       Strike all after the resolving clause and insert the 
     following:
       That it is the sense of Congress that there should be 
     established a National Visiting Nurse Association Week.


                           amendment no. 4051

       Strike the preamble and insert the following:
       Whereas visiting nurse associations (``VNAs'') are non-
     profit home health agencies that, for more than 120 years, 
     have been united in their mission to provide cost-effective 
     and compassionate home and community-based health care to 
     individuals, regardless of the individuals' condition or 
     ability to pay for services;
       Whereas there are approximately 500 visiting nurse 
     associations, which employ more than 90,000 clinicians, 
     provide health care to more than 4,000,000 people each year, 
     and provide a critical safety net in communities by 
     developing a network of community support services that 
     enable individuals to live independently at home;
       Whereas visiting nurse associations have historically 
     served as primary public health care providers in their 
     communities, and are today one of the largest providers of 
     mass immunizations in the medicare program (delivering more 
     than 2,500,000 influenza immunizations annually);
       Whereas visiting nurse associations are often the home 
     health providers of last resort, serving the most chronic of 
     conditions (such as congestive heart failure, chronic 
     obstructive pulmonary disease, AIDS, and quadriplegic) and 
     individuals with the last ability to pay for services (more 
     than 50 percent of all medicaid home health admissions are by 
     visiting nurse associations);
       Whereas any visiting nurse association budget surplus is 
     reinvested in supporting the association's mission through 
     services, including charity care, adult day care centers, 
     wellness clinics, Meals-on-wheels, and immunization programs;
       Whereas visiting nurse associations and other nonprofit 
     home health agencies care for the highest percentage of 
     terminally ill and bedridden patients;
       Whereas thousands of visiting nurse association volunteers 
     across the Nation devote time serving as individual agency 
     board members, raising funds, visiting patients in their 
     homes, assisting in wellness clinics, and delivering meals to 
     patients.
       Whereas the establishment of National Visiting Nurse 
     Association Week would increase public awareness of the 
     charity-based missions of visiting nurse associations and of 
     their ability to meet the needs of chronically ill and 
     disabled individuals who prefer to live at home rather than 
     in a nursing home, and would spotlight preventive health 
     clinics, adult day care programs, and other customized 
     wellness programs that meet local community needs; and
       Whereas the second week of May 2005 is an appropriate week 
     to establish a national visiting Nurse Association Week: Now, 
     therefore, be it

  The concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 8), as amended, was agreed 
to.
  The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
  The concurrent resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                             S. Con. Res. 8

       Whereas visiting nurse associations (``VNAs'') are 
     nonprofit home health agencies that, for more than 120 years, 
     have been united in their mission to provide cost-effective 
     and compassionate home and community-based health care to 
     individuals, regardless of the individuals' condition or 
     ability to pay for services;
       Whereas there are approximately 500 visiting nurse 
     associations, which employ more than 90,000 clinicians, 
     provide health care to more than 4,000,000 people each year, 
     and provide a critical safety net in communities by 
     developing a network of community support services that 
     enable individuals to live independently at home;
       Whereas visiting nurse associations have historically 
     served as primary public health care providers in their 
     communities, and are today one of the largest providers of 
     mass immunizations in the medicare program (delivering more 
     than 2,500,000 influenza immunizations annually);
       Whereas visiting nurse associations are often the home 
     health providers of last resort, serving the most chronic of 
     conditions (such as congestive heart failure, chronic 
     obstructive pulmonary disease, AIDS, and quadriplegia) and 
     individuals with the least ability to pay for services (more 
     than 50 percent of all medicaid home health admissions are by 
     visiting nurse associations);
       Whereas any visiting nurse association budget surplus is 
     reinvested in supporting the association's mission through 
     services, including charity care, adult day care centers, 
     wellness clinics, Meals-on-Wheels, and immunization programs;
       Whereas visiting nurse associations and other nonprofit 
     home health agencies care for the highest percentage of 
     terminally ill and bedridden patients;
       Whereas thousands of visiting nurse association volunteers 
     across the Nation devote time serving as individual agency 
     board members, raising funds, visiting patients in their 
     homes, assisting in wellness clinics, and delivering meals to 
     patients;
       Whereas the establishment of a National Visiting Nurse 
     Association Week would increase public awareness of the 
     charity-based missions of visiting nurse associations and of 
     their ability to meet the needs of chronically ill and 
     disabled individuals who prefer to live at home rather than 
     in a nursing home, and would spotlight preventive health 
     clinics, adult day care programs, and other customized 
     wellness programs that meet local community needs; and
       Whereas the second week of May 2005 is an appropriate week 
     to establish as National Visiting Nurse Association Week: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that there 
     should be established a National Visiting Nurse Association 
     Week.
  The title amendment (No. 4052) was agreed to, as follows:


                           amendment no. 4052

       Amend the title so as to read: ``Expressing the sense of 
     Congress that there should be established a National Visiting 
     Nurse Association Week.''

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution (S. Res. 430), which was agreed to, as follows:

                              S. Res. 430

       Whereas the prevalence of runaway and homeless youth in the 
     United States is staggering, with studies suggesting that 
     between 1,600,000 and 2,800,000 young people live on the 
     streets of the United States each year;
       Whereas running away from home is widespread, with 1 out of 
     every 7 children in the United States running away before the 
     age of 18;
       Whereas youth that end up on the streets are often those 
     who have been thrown out of

[[Page S11019]]

     their homes by their families, who have been physically, 
     sexually, and emotionally abused at home, who have been 
     discharged by State custodial systems without adequate 
     transition plans, who have lost their parents through death 
     or divorce, and who are too poor to secure their own basic 
     needs;
       Whereas effective programs supporting runaway youth and 
     assisting young people in remaining at home with their 
     families succeed because of partnerships created among 
     families, community-based human service agencies, law 
     enforcement agencies, schools, faith-based organizations, and 
     businesses;
       Whereas preventing young people from running away and 
     supporting youth in high-risk situations is a family, 
     community, and national responsibility;
       Whereas the future well-being of the Nation is dependent on 
     the value placed on young people and the opportunities 
     provided for youth to acquire the knowledge, skills, and 
     abilities necessary to develop into safe, healthy, and 
     productive adults;
       Whereas the National Network for Youth and its members 
     advocate on behalf of runaway and homeless youth and provide 
     an array of community-based support services that address the 
     critical needs of such youth;
       Whereas the National Runaway Switchboard provides crisis 
     intervention and referrals to reconnect runaway youth to 
     their families and to link young people to local resources 
     that provide positive alternatives to running away; and
       Whereas the National Network for Youth and the National 
     Runaway Switchboard are co-sponsoring National Runaway 
     Prevention Month to increase public awareness of the life 
     circumstances of youth in high-risk situations and the need 
     for safe, healthy, and productive alternatives, resources, 
     and supports for youth, families, and communities: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate designates November 2004 as 
     ``National Runaway Prevention Month''.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 486), which was agreed to.
  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 473), which was agreed to.

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