[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 69 (Thursday, May 16, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Page S3582]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    SENATE RESOLUTION 145--PROMOTING MINORITY HEALTH AWARENESS AND 
 SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF NATIONAL MINORITY HEALTH MONTH IN 
   APRIL 2013 TO BRING ATTENTION TO THE HEALTH DISPARITIES FACED BY 
   MINORITY POPULATIONS SUCH AS AMERICAN INDIANS AND ALASKA NATIVES, 
 ASIANS, BLACKS OR AFRICAN AMERICANS, HISPANICS OR LATINOS, AND NATIVE 
                 HAWAIIANS AND OTHER PACIFIC ISLANDERS

  Mr. CARDIN (for himself and Mr. Schatz) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 145

       Whereas in 2011, the Department of Health and Human 
     Services released the ``National Stakeholder Strategy for 
     Achieving Health Equity'' and the ``Disparities action Plan'' 
     to reduce health care disparities in the United States;
       Whereas a recent analysis estimates that the economy of the 
     United States loses an estimated $309,000,000,000 a year due 
     to the direct and indirect costs of health disparities;
       Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services has 
     identified 6 main categories in which racial and ethnic 
     minorities experience the most disparate access to health 
     care and health outcomes, including infant mortality, cancer 
     screening and management, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, 
     HIV and AIDS infection, and immunizations;
       Whereas African-American women are more than twice as 
     likely to die of cervical cancer than White women and are 
     more likely to die of breast cancer than women of any other 
     racial or ethnic group;
       Whereas the rate of death from coronary heart disease is 30 
     percent higher among African Americans than among Whites;
       Whereas the death rate from stroke is 50 percent higher 
     among African Americans than among Whites;
       Whereas in 2012, as compared to non-Hispanic Whites living 
     in Hawaii, Native Hawaiians had more than twice the rate of 
     medically-diagnosed diabetes and were 5.7 times more likely 
     to die of diabetes;
       Whereas compared to non-Hispanic White men, African 
     American men are 9.5 times more likely to die of AIDS and 
     Hispanic men are 2.5 times more likely to die of AIDS;
       Whereas in 2010, 84 percent of children born with HIV 
     infection belonged to minority groups;
       Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services has 
     identified diseases of the heart, malignant neoplasm, 
     unintentional injuries, diabetes, and cerebrovascular disease 
     as some of the leading causes of death among American Indians 
     and Alaska Natives;
       Whereas American Indians and Alaska Natives die at higher 
     rates than other people in the United States from 
     tuberculosis, diabetes, unintentional injuries, and suicide; 
     and
       Whereas American Indians and Alaska Natives have a life 
     expectancy that is 5.2 years shorter than the life expectancy 
     of the overall population of the United States: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate supports the goals and ideals of 
     National Minority Health Month in April 2013 to bring 
     attention to the severe health disparities faced by minority 
     populations such as American Indians and Alaska Natives, 
     Asians, Blacks or African Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, 
     and Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders.

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