[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 144 (Monday, December 1, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6231-S6232]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING THE CENTER FOR CLOSING THE HEALTH GAP

 Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I attended a Martin Luther King, Jr. 
event in Cleveland on a cold, snowy day earlier this year. The keynote 
speaker said something that we have all heard, but so often do not 
think about. He said, ``Your life expectancy is connected to your zip 
code.''
  Whether you grew up in a city like Cincinnati, a suburb like 
Kettering, or in rural Appalachia, your zip code often determines 
whether you have access to quality health care, great education, and 
the social support necessary to succeed.
  Ohio is fortunate to have many organizations, like the Center for 
Closing the Health Gap in Cincinnati, working to create zip codes where 
every resident has the opportunity to succeed.
  For the past 10 years, The Center for Closing the Health Gap under 
the leadership of Dwight Tillery has worked to address health 
disparities across Southwest Ohio through private-public partnerships. 
Their work is invaluable in the Queen City, as we know health 
disparities take both a moral and economic toll on our communities.
  Today, more than 1.8 million Ohioans live in poverty and almost one 
in six families do not know where their next meal will come from. We 
also know that the end of the school year does not mean an end to 
hunger.
  That is why the work of nonprofits like The Center for Closing the 
Health Gap and programs like the Summer Food Service Program are so 
important. They work together to ensure that Ohio families know about 
these programs and ensure our students have enough food to keep growing 
and learning long after the final school bell rings for summer 
vacation.
  As we work together to address child hunger and nutrition, we are 
also working to eradicate infant mortality. Ohio ranks 48th in the 
nation for infant mortality, and we are the worst State for the 
survival of African American babies.
  Each year, there are more than 4,600 sudden unexpected infant deaths, 
and there is no known cause for as many as half of the 25,000 
stillbirths in this country.
  No parent should ever have to grieve the loss of a child with no 
answers and no help.

[[Page S6232]]

  My Sudden Unexpected Death Data Enhancement and Awareness Act would 
fill in the gap in how infant deaths are tracked by the Federal 
Government so that we can better understand and prevent these 
tragedies.
  We can begin to address the disparities facing our communities--and 
our economies--by working together on the local, State, and federal 
levels. Ohio is fortunate to have organizations like The Center for 
Closing the Health Gap working to make sure that all Ohioans have a 
chance to lead healthy, successful lives.

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