[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 79 (Thursday, May 21, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H3546]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1315
                         ASTHMA AWARENESS MONTH

  (Mr. ENGEL asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, May is Asthma Awareness Month. As co-chair of 
the Congressional Asthma and Allergy Caucus and a senior member of the 
House Committee on Energy and Commerce's Health Subcommittee, I want to 
take this opportunity to bring attention to the prevalence of asthma in 
the United States, as well as what must be done to control its growth.
  Asthma is one of the most serious chronic diseases in the country. It 
affects almost 26 million Americans and nearly 7 million children. It 
can cause shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, chest pain, and even 
death.
  In my home State of New York, asthma takes a particularly heavy toll, 
especially in my home county of the Bronx. About 390,000 children and 
1.4 million adults in New York have asthma. The total cost of asthma-
related hospitalizations in New York in 2007 was a staggering $535 
million.
  I have been a strong supporter of the Centers for Disease Control's 
National Asthma Control Program, which helps States implement systems 
to monitor and treat asthma. This program's work has resulted in $23.1 
billion in asthma healthcare costs since 2001.
  We must continue to increase awareness and preventative measures to 
help people manage their disease. We must work collaboratively across 
sectors to address the burden that asthma creates.
  I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues in a 
bipartisan fashion to ensure that adults and children across the United 
States can live healthier and more successful lives and that we can 
conquer the scourge of asthma.

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