[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 70 (Thursday, April 22, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2177-S2178]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 175--SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF NATIONAL 
                           PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK

  Mr. LUJAN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions:

                              S. Res. 175

       Whereas the week of April 5, 2021, is National Public 
     Health Week;
       Whereas the theme for National Public Health Week in 2021 
     is ``Building Bridges to Better Health'';
       Whereas the goal of National Public Health Week in 2021 is 
     to recognize the contributions of public health in--
       (1) improving the health of the people of the United 
     States; and
       (2) achieving health equity;
       Whereas, as of the date of introduction of this resolution, 
     the United States and the global community are responding to 
     the COVID-19 pandemic, which requires support for--
       (1) a robust public health infrastructure and workforce;
       (2) State, territorial, local, and Tribal health 
     departments, health care workers, public health laboratories, 
     and first responders;
       (3) diagnostic testing of new and potential COVID-19 cases 
     and activities related to epidemiology and public health 
     data;

[[Page S2178]]

       (4) complying with appropriate social distancing and 
     quarantine recommendations;
       (5) relieving financial burdens for individuals in the 
     United States hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic, including 
     through public health emergency leave;
       (6) State Medicaid programs and community health centers to 
     ensure care for vulnerable populations;
       (7) collaboration among the Federal Government, State and 
     local governments, schools, businesses, and employers to 
     support public health measures to decrease community spread 
     of COVID-19;
       (8) investments in the Centers for Disease Control and 
     Prevention, which support infectious disease outbreak 
     preparedness and critical public health infrastructure for 
     State and local health departments and public health 
     laboratories;
       (9) a comprehensive effort to ensure a successful COVID-19 
     vaccination campaign that boosts access to vaccines for 
     vulnerable populations and trust in vaccine safety and 
     effectiveness; and
       (10) efforts to address racism as a public health crisis 
     and reduce racial and ethnic health disparities related to 
     COVID-19 deaths, vaccine access and testing, and important 
     health outcomes outside of the pandemic such as maternal 
     mortality;
       Whereas, in 2020, the life expectancy for the population of 
     the United States dropped a full year, which is the largest 
     drop in life expectancy since 1943;
       Whereas many of the leading causes of death for individuals 
     in the United States result from chronic conditions, which 
     are among the most common, costly, and preventable of all 
     health challenges;
       Whereas there are significant differences in the health 
     status of individuals living in the most healthy States and 
     those living in the least healthy States, including 
     differences in obesity rates, the prevalence of chronic 
     disease, and the prevalence of infectious disease;
       Whereas racial and ethnic minority populations in the 
     United States continue to experience disparities in the 
     burden of illness and death, as compared with the entire 
     population of the United States;
       Whereas violence is a leading cause of premature death and 
     it is estimated that more than 7 individuals per hour die a 
     violent death in the United States;
       Whereas deaths from homicides cost the economy of the 
     United States billions of dollars and the violence of 
     homicides can cause social and emotional distress, community 
     trauma, injury, disability, depression, anxiety, and post-
     traumatic stress disorder;
       Whereas emergency department visits for suicidal thoughts 
     or self-harm increased 25.5 percent between January 2017 and 
     December 2018, with substantial increases occurring in 
     younger age groups;
       Whereas an estimated 1 in 7 children in the United States 
     experiences child abuse and neglect, which imposes an annual 
     lifetime economic burden of approximately $428,000,000,000 on 
     the population of the United States;
       Whereas, despite significant progress in reducing the 
     infant mortality rate in the United States to a historic low 
     of 5.8 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, in 2017 the 
     infant mortality rate in the United States greatly varies 
     among States;
       Whereas women die from pregnancy-related complications in 
     the United States at a higher rate than in many other 
     developed countries and an estimated 60 percent of maternal 
     deaths in the United States are preventable;
       Whereas Black mothers experience a maternal mortality rate 
     3 to 4 times higher than White mothers;
       Whereas 81,000 drug overdose deaths occurred in the United 
     States during the 12-month period ending May 2020, the 
     highest level ever recorded during a 12-month period;
       Whereas cigarette smoking is the leading cause of 
     preventable disease and death in the United States, 
     accounting for more than 480,000 deaths every year, including 
     more than 41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke;
       Whereas the percentage of adults in the United States who 
     smoke cigarettes has decreased from 20.9 percent of the 
     population in 2005 to 13.7 percent of the population in 2018;
       Whereas, in 2020, according to data from the National Youth 
     Tobacco Survey 19.6 percent of high school students 
     (3,020,000 students) and 4.7 percent of middle school 
     students (550,000 students) reported current e-cigarette use;
       Whereas data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey showed 
     that in 2020 almost 40 percent of high school e-cigarette 
     users were using an e-cigarette on 20 or more days out of the 
     month and almost a quarter of high school e-cigarette users 
     were using e-cigarettes every day, indicating a strong 
     dependence on nicotine among youth;
       Whereas in the past 2 decades heat-related mortality for 
     older persons has almost doubled, reaching a record high 
     19,000 deaths in 2018;
       Whereas from 2018 to 2019 the United States spent nearly 
     $13 per person on climate change adaptation in the health 
     sector, far less than what is needed to prevent the growing 
     health impacts of climate change;
       Whereas, in 2016, fine particulate air pollution led to 
     more than 64,000 premature deaths in the United States and 
     Black and Hispanic individuals in the United States were 
     disproportionately impacted;
       Whereas public health organizations use National Public 
     Health Week to educate public policymakers and public health 
     professionals on issues that are important to improving the 
     health of the people of the United States;
       Whereas studies show that small strategic investments in 
     disease prevention can result in significant savings in 
     health care costs;
       Whereas vaccination is one of the most significant public 
     health achievements in history and has resulted in 
     substantial decreases in--
       (1) the number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths 
     associated with vaccine-preventable diseases; and
       (2) health care costs associated with vaccine-preventable 
     diseases;
       Whereas each 10 percent increase in local public health 
     spending contributes to a--
       (1) 6.9 percent decrease in infant deaths;
       (2) 3.2 percent decrease in deaths related to 
     cardiovascular disease;
       (3) 1.4 percent decrease in deaths due to diabetes; and
       (4) 1.1 percent decrease in cancer-related deaths;
       Whereas public health professionals help communities 
     prevent, prepare for, mitigate, and recover from the impact 
     of a full range of health threats, including--
       (1) disease outbreaks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic;
       (2) natural disasters, such as wildfires, flooding, and 
     severe storms; and
       (3) other disasters, including disasters caused by human 
     activity and public health emergencies;
       Whereas public health professionals collaborate with 
     partners outside of the health sector, including city 
     planners, transportation officials, education officials, and 
     private sector businesses, recognizing that other sectors can 
     influence health outcomes;
       Whereas in communities across the United States, 
     individuals are changing the way they care for their health 
     by avoiding tobacco use, eating healthier, increasing 
     physical activity, and preventing unintentional injuries at 
     home and in the workplace; and
       Whereas efforts to adequately support public health and the 
     prevention of disease and injury can continue to transform a 
     health system focused on treating illness into a health 
     system focused on preventing disease and injury and promoting 
     wellness: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) supports the goals and ideals of National Public Health 
     Week;
       (2) recognizes the efforts of public health professionals, 
     the Federal Government, States, Tribes, municipalities, local 
     communities, and individuals in preventing disease and 
     injury;
       (3) recognizes the role of public health in--
       (A) preventing and responding to infectious disease 
     outbreaks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic;
       (B) mitigating short-term and long-term impacts of 
     infectious disease outbreaks on the health and wellness of 
     individuals in the United States;
       (C) addressing social and other determinants of health, 
     including health disparities experienced by minority 
     populations; and
       (D) improving the overall health of individuals and 
     communities in the United States;
       (4) encourages increased efforts and resources to--
       (A) improve the health of individuals in the United States; 
     and
       (B) make the United States, in 1 generation, the healthiest 
     Nation in the world by--
       (i) providing greater opportunities to improve community 
     health and prevent disease and injury; and
       (ii) strengthening the public health system and workforce 
     in the United States; and
       (5) encourages the people of the United States to learn 
     about the role of the public health system in improving 
     health across the United States.

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