[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 172 (Friday, October 19, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1431]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING MALNUTRITION AWARENESS WEEK 2018

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                           HON. JOYCE BEATTY

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 19, 2018

  Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to observe Malnutrition Awareness 
Week which was September 24 through 28, 2018.
  Access to proper nutrition is critical for all Americans, especially 
our seniors. Every 60 seconds, ten hospitalized patients with 
malnutrition go undiagnosed, and many of these patients are older 
adults. The malnutrition awareness outreach effort is a step in the 
right direction to defeat this problem that plagues vulnerable 
populations.
  Malnutrition Awareness Week is a multi-organizational, multi-pronged 
effort created by the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral 
Nutrition to: educate healthcare professionals to identify and treat 
malnutrition earlier; educate consumers and patients about the need to 
discuss their nutrition status with healthcare professionals; and 
increase awareness of nutrition's role in patient recovery.
  The Malnutrition Awareness Week campaign also highlights the need to 
focus on common-sense solutions that can close the care gap, thereby 
helping to reduce premature morbidity and mortality as well as 
hospitalizations, re-admissions and other variables that may increase 
the cost of care. We can begin by measuring the scope of the problem 
and by adding metrics for older adult malnutrition to national dietary 
guidelines. I believe increasing awareness will help our nation educate 
families and help seniors live healthier lives for years to come.

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