[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 7404]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 187--SUPPORTING NATIONAL MINORITY HEALTH AWARENESS IN 
  ORDER TO BRING ATTENTION TO THE SEVERE HEALTH DISPARITIES FACED BY 
   MINORITY POPULATIONS SUCH AS AMERICAN INDIANS AND ALASKA NATIVES, 
 ASIANS, BLACKS OR AFRICAN AMERICANS, HISPANICS OR LATINOS, AND NATIVE 
                 HAWAIIANS AND OTHER PACIFIC ISLANDERS

  Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Ms. Murkowski, and Mr. Begich) submitted the 
following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 187

       Whereas many minority populations disproportionately 
     experience health care barriers, exposure to environmental 
     hazards, mortality, morbidity, behavioral risk factors, 
     disability status, and unique social determinants of health;
       Whereas the expected increase in minority populations in 
     the near future will impact the entire health system of the 
     United States, making the collective improved health of 
     minority populations even more critical to the Nation;
       Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services has 
     identified 6 main categories in which racial and ethnic 
     minorities experience the most disparate access and health 
     outcomes, including infant mortality, cancer screening and 
     management, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS 
     infection, and immunizations;
       Whereas according to the Centers for Disease Control and 
     Prevention, African-American, American Indian, and Puerto 
     Rican infants have higher mortality rates than White infants;
       Whereas African-American women are more than twice as 
     likely to die of cervical cancer than White women and are 
     more likely to die of breast cancer than women of any other 
     racial or ethnic group;
       Whereas in 2006, among adults older than 44, the rate of 
     death from coronary heart disease was 20 percent higher among 
     African Americans than among Whites, and the death rate from 
     stroke was 48 percent higher among African Americans than 
     among Whites;
       Whereas in 2008, as compared to non-Hispanic Whites, 
     African American adults were 6 times more likely to have 
     medically-diagnosed diabetes, Hispanics were 1.5 times more 
     likely to have medically-diagnosed diabetes, and Asians were 
     1.2 times more likely to have medically-diagnosed diabetes;
       Whereas African Americans and Hispanics represented only 27 
     percent of the United States population in 2008, but 
     accounted for an estimated 68 percent of adult AIDS diagnoses 
     and 71 percent of estimated pediatric AIDS diagnoses in 2008;
       Whereas in 2008, Hispanics and African Americans age 65 and 
     older were less likely than non-Hispanic Whites to report 
     having received influenza and pneumococcal vaccines;
       Whereas American Indians and Alaska Natives have a life 
     expectancy that is 5.2 years less than the life expectancy of 
     the population of the United States overall;
       Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services has 
     identified diseases of the heart, malignant neoplasm, 
     unintentional injuries, diabetes, and cerebrovascular disease 
     as the 5 leading causes of death among American Indians and 
     Alaska Natives;
       Whereas American Indians and Alaska Natives die at higher 
     rates than other people in the United States from 
     tuberculosis, diabetes, unintentional injuries, and suicide; 
     and
       Whereas health care experts, policymakers and tribal 
     leaders are seeking to address the disproportionate disease 
     burden and lower life expectancy for the American Indian and 
     Alaska Native people by examining various factors that 
     contribute to health status: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate supports national minority health 
     awareness in order to bring attention to the severe health 
     disparities faced by minority populations such as American 
     Indians and Alaska Natives, Asians, Blacks or African 
     Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, and Native Hawaiians and 
     other Pacific Islanders.

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