[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 61 (Wednesday, April 10, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2710-S2711]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 632--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. 632

       Whereas the week of April 1, 2024, is National Public 
     Health Week;
       Whereas the theme for National Public Health Week in 2024 
     is ``Protecting, Connecting and Thriving: We Are All Public 
     Health'';
       Whereas the goal of National Public Health Week in 2024 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 continuing to 
     recover from 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) activities related to epidemiology and public health 
     data;
       (4) relieving financial burdens for individuals in the 
     United States hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic, including 
     through public health emergency leave;
       (5) State Medicaid programs and community health centers to 
     ensure care for vulnerable populations;
       (6) collaboration among the Federal Government, State and 
     local governments, Tribal health organizations, schools, 
     businesses, and employers to support public health measures;
       (7) 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;
       (8) a comprehensive effort to ensure successful vaccination 
     campaigns that boost access to vaccines for vulnerable 
     populations and trust in vaccine safety and effectiveness; 
     and
       (9) 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 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 healthiest States and 
     those living in the least healthy States, including 
     differences in obesity rates, the prevalence of chronic 
     diseases, and the prevalence of infectious diseases;
       Whereas racial and ethnic minority populations in the 
     United States continue to experience disparities in the 
     burdens of illness and death, as compared to 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 49,449 people died by suicide in 2022, with 
     firearms being used in over 50 percent of suicides;
       Whereas an estimated 1 in 7 children in the United States 
     experienced child abuse and neglect in the past year, with 
     1,750 children dying of abuse and neglect in 2020;
       Whereas significant progress has been made in reducing the 
     infant mortality rate in the United States to a historic low 
     of 5.6 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2022;
       Whereas there are still stark disparities in infant 
     mortality by race, ethnicity, geography, and income, as 
     evidenced by the fact that Black infants experience infant 
     mortality at a rate twice that of White infants;
       Whereas women die from pregnancy-related complications in 
     the United States at a higher rate than in many other 
     developed countries, with the rate of maternal mortality 
     being 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2021;
       Whereas an estimated 84 percent of maternal deaths in the 
     United States are preventable;
       Whereas, from 2017 to 2019, American Indian or Alaskan 
     Native mothers experienced maternal mortality at a rate twice 
     that of White mothers, and Black mothers experienced maternal 
     mortality at a rate almost 3 times that of White mothers;
       Whereas there were an estimated 107,622 drug overdose 
     deaths in 2021, an increase of nearly 15 percent from 2020;
       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;
       Whereas the percentage of adults in the United States who 
     smoke cigarettes has decreased from 20.9 percent of the 
     population in 2005, to 11.5 percent of the population in 
     2021;
       Whereas e-cigarettes have been the most commonly used 
     tobacco product among youth since 2014, with 10.0 percent of 
     high school students reporting e-cigarette use in 2023;
       Whereas, in 2020, there were approximately 32,000 deaths in 
     the United States due to exposure to particulate matter, 37 
     percent of which were directly related to fossil fuel 
     burning;

[[Page S2711]]

       Whereas heat-related mortality for people over 65 is 
     estimated to have increased by approximately 74 percent from 
     2000 through 2004 compared to 2017 through 2021;
       Whereas voting helps shape the conditions in which people 
     can be healthy, and good health is consistently associated 
     positively with higher likelihood of voter participation, but 
     only 52.2 percent of eligible adults reported voting in the 
     November 2022 elections;
       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 the vaccination of the public 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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