[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 131 (Wednesday, September 16, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2284]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             SUPPORTING EFFORTS TO REDUCE INFANT MORTALITY

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                               speech of

                             HON. ZACH WAMP

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 14, 2009

  Mr. WAMP Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 260, a resolution 
supporting efforts to reduce infant mortality in the United States. I 
thank Congressman Steve Cohen for introducing this legislation, and I 
am proud to be an original cosponsor.
  The infant mortality rate provides the best sense of the health of a 
country, and unfortunately, the U.S. ranks 29th in the world in this 
category. That means twenty-eight other countries have better success 
than us in delivering and maintaining the health of a child during its 
first year of development. Needless to say, this is a disturbing sign, 
and something we as a nation must address.
  Although this is a national problem, it unfortunately hits close to 
home for my state of Tennessee. Nowhere in the country is the infant 
mortality rate higher than in Memphis. While devastating, the issue has 
inspired St. Jude's Hospital in-depth research on infant mortality, and 
this has led to discoveries about the variety of factors that affect 
infant mortality.
  My hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee, also struggles with a similar 
sad phenomenon known as low birth weight (LBW) which can, and usually 
does, lead to the death of children under one year of age. A baby is 
considered to have a low birth weight if it is less than five pounds at 
birth. Of the twenty-eight zip codes in Hamilton County which 
encompasses Chattanooga, twenty-seven have high rates of LBW, meaning 
Hamilton County has a higher percentage of LBW than some third-world 
nations. Researchers are had at work to pinpoint the actual cause.
  Madam Speaker, our nations's high infant mortality rate is one of the 
most significant issues facing the health and future of our country, 
and this resolution recognizes the exceptiional work that is being done 
to address it.
  I urge all Members to support the passage of this important 
resolution.

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