[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 4928-4929]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             END HUNGER NOW

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, my grandmother used to say an apple a day 
keeps the doctor away. I hated it when she said that, but you know, Mr. 
Speaker, she was right. Good, nutritious food will keep you healthy. 
That's because food is medicine. Fruits, vegetables and other healthy 
foods like beans, legumes, grains and proteins are critical for proper 
development. Simply put, healthy people eat healthy food.
  The opposite is also true. The more junk food we eat, the less 
healthy we are. But there are different reasons why people eat less 
nutritious food. Many people choose to eat non-nutritious food, but 
there are many others who cannot afford to buy healthier options. These 
low-income households have to stretch their food dollars in order to 
make ends meet.

                              {time}  1030

  This requires them to buy less nutritious, high-calorie foods that 
are more affordable on a fixed income. This is why we can have an obese 
hungry person. They're filling their stomachs with food that isn't good 
for them, simply because it's all they can afford or all they have 
access to.
  This kind of diet has long-term negative effects on individuals and 
on the communities where they live. Mr. Speaker, when we talk about 
ways to End Hunger Now, we must look at the way the quality of food, or 
the lack of quality, is impacting hunger in America.
  In a 2011 report entitled, ``Hunger in America: Suffering We Are All 
Paying For,'' the Center for American Progress estimated that the 
health costs for hunger were at least $130 billion each year. $130 
billion a year, just for health costs related to hunger.
  The authors of the report examined medical research and found that 
there are serious medical consequences directly related to hunger. 
Specifically, this research found that there is likely to be higher 
rates of iron deficiency, headaches, stomach aches, frequency of colds, 
activity-limiting health impairments, specific nutrient deficiencies, 
more hospitalizations, longer inpatient stays, and poorer overall 
health status.
  Along with these physical health issues, there are also mental health 
conditions attributable to hunger, including anxiety and irritability, 
depression, withdrawn behavior, psychosocial dysfunction, suicidal 
thoughts and behaviors, and a need for mental health services.
  The response is clear, Mr. Speaker. We must treat hunger as a health 
issue. It frustrates me that we in Congress still act like it's a 
better option to spend over $130 billion in hunger-related health costs 
than to actually prevent hunger in the first place.
  Last month, in March, ProMedica and the Partnership to Fight Chronic 
Disease released a white paper called, ``Addressing Hunger Essential to 
Improving Health.'' This paper details how critically important it is 
to treat hunger as a health issue. The white paper points out that 
hungry people of all ages, from pregnant women to children to adults to 
seniors, suffer from a lack of nutrients found in healthy foods. The 
lack of nutrients results in serious health issues, the very same 
health issues that cost our Nation over $130 billion in health care 
costs alone. That's nuts.
  Doctors and nurses should be looking for signs of hunger in their 
patients. Medical students should have more courses on nutrition. They 
should be treating hunger just like any other condition. If someone has 
high blood pressure or a rash, they get a prescription to treat that 
problem. Doctors should be writing food prescriptions, if that's what 
it takes, to get nutritious food to the food insecure.
  Health care organizations like ProMedica in Ohio and Michigan, UMass 
Memorial in Worcester, Massachusetts, and Children's Health Watch in 
four locations, including Boston Medical Center and Drexel University, 
are trying to right this wrong. They promote health and wellness in 
general, but they are also treating hunger as a health issue. They are 
working to reduce the number of hospital readmissions by including food 
security in their patients' discharge plans. They want to make sure 
that people don't need to be readmitted to a hospital because they 
suffer from a setback simply because they don't have food to eat once 
they leave the hospital. They are also working to raise awareness about 
nutrition and exercise and to increase access to healthier food in 
underserved areas.
  Mr. Speaker, we need to learn from these organizations and others. 
That's why I believe it is so important that the White House convene a 
conference on food and nutrition. We are not going to end hunger now if 
we don't bring the best and the brightest minds together in one place, 
including doctors, nurses, nutritionists, dietitians, and other health 
professionals. We need a national plan of action, and the best way to 
begin is with a White House conference.
  Mr. Speaker, we know that healthy food builds healthy bodies. We know 
that by ignoring hunger, our Nation pays hundreds of billions of 
dollars in health care costs. We know that nutritious food is good 
medicine for body and mind.
  Mr. Speaker, in the United States of America, the richest, most 
prosperous nation on Earth, hunger should not be

[[Page 4929]]

an issue. We need to come together, Mr. Speaker. We need to come 
together now. We need the President to lead on this. We need to come 
together and end hunger now.

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