[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 5, 2023)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 20375-20377]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-07316]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 88 , No. 65 / Wednesday, April 5, 2023 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 20375]]


                Proclamation 10547 of March 31, 2023

                
National Public Health Week, 2023

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                The field of public health is grounded in the 
                fundamental truth that we are all in this together--
                that our health is connected and we are stronger as a 
                Nation when we work together to lift everyone's well-
                being. During National Public Health Week, we celebrate 
                the life-saving work that our public health 
                professionals do to keep Americans healthy and safe.

                All of America has seen the importance of public health 
                during the past 3 years. The pandemic shut down our 
                businesses, closed our schools, and robbed us of so 
                much, including the lives of over one million 
                Americans. While the virus is not gone, we have made 
                enormous progress, and it no longer controls our lives. 
                More than 230 million Americans are fully vaccinated. 
                COVID deaths are down more than 90 percent. Schools and 
                businesses are open and thriving. And these gains are 
                thanks in large part to the absolute courage and 
                commitment of everyone who contributes to protecting 
                our public health--including first responders and 
                social workers, scientists and researchers, doctors and 
                nurses, and so many others.

                Public health professionals have been shaping our 
                country for the better since long before COVID arose. 
                From expanding access to immunizations and improving 
                safety standards for food, traffic, and the workplace, 
                to advocating for cleaner air and water, public health 
                professionals have improved the lives of all Americans 
                and made our country stronger, healthier, and more 
                prosperous.

                Looking ahead, there is so much more to do to end 
                health disparities, keep advancing science, and improve 
                the health and well-being of all Americans. That starts 
                by making sure everyone has access to quality health 
                care. Under my Administration, we have expanded 
                coverage through the Affordable Care Act, making it 
                cheaper and easier to sign up and saving millions of 
                families $800 a year. Through the American Rescue Plan, 
                we invested $7.6 billion in community health centers, 
                and my latest budget would put us on a path to doubling 
                the size of the Health Center Program, which funds care 
                in underserved areas. We are also bringing down the 
                cost of life-saving drugs like insulin and investing in 
                next-generation breakthroughs to prevent, diagnose, and 
                treat deadly diseases like cancer through the new 
                Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health.

                To take on the public health epidemic of gun violence, 
                we passed the most significant gun safety law in three 
                decades, which includes enhanced background checks for 
                individuals under age 21, and funding for red flag laws 
                that can help keep guns from people who are a danger to 
                themselves and others. The law also makes historic 
                investments in mental health, and it complements the 
                launch of the 9-8-8 National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline 
                and additional work to protect kids online. 
                Additionally, I reauthorized the landmark Violence 
                Against Women Act that I first wrote in 1990 and 
                expanded protections for survivors of domestic 
                violence. And we are fighting the opioid epidemic by 
                cracking down on fentanyl trafficking; pushing for 
                tougher penalties for suppliers; and expanding access 
                to life-saving naloxone, treatment, and recovery 
                services.

[[Page 20376]]

                We have also made the biggest-ever investment in 
                fighting the public health threat represented by the 
                climate crisis. Our Justice40 Initiative works to 
                ensure that 40 percent of our clean energy investments 
                flow to disadvantaged communities that have so often 
                borne the brunt, including the health consequences, of 
                environmental damage. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law 
                is replacing poisonous lead pipes that go into 10 
                million homes and 400,000 schools and child care 
                centers so that every child in America can turn on the 
                faucet and drink clean water.

                And we have released a national strategy to end hunger 
                and reduce diet-related diseases like diabetes and 
                obesity. The strategy provides millions of students 
                with free, nutritious school meals and helps Americans 
                exercise and make healthy choices in the foods they 
                eat. We are also supporting people who want to quit 
                smoking, and the Food and Drug Administration has 
                proposed rules to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored 
                cigars, which could save hundreds of thousands of 
                lives.

                Since the Supreme Court's extreme decision to strip 
                women of their fundamental right to choose, I have also 
                taken urgent executive action to safeguard emergency 
                care and protect patients' privacy. The Congress must 
                act now to codify the protections of Roe v. Wade into 
                law so women in every State have the right to make 
                their own health care decisions. At the same time, my 
                Administration is also working to end the maternal 
                health crisis that leaves Black and Native American 
                women up to three times more likely than white women to 
                die during pregnancy.

                These are all vital public health issues. Their range 
                reminds us how connected our health is to the health of 
                others. That is why the United States has continued to 
                lead on global health challenges like HIV/AIDS, 
                tuberculosis, and malaria, as well as COVID. Working 
                with the G20 and other partners, we created the 
                Pandemic Fund to strengthen global pandemic 
                preparedness, prevention, and response. And at home, we 
                invested over $7 billion into strengthening the 
                capacity of State and local public health departments 
                to respond to future public health crises--including by 
                launching the new Public Health AmeriCorps to train a 
                strong, diverse public health workforce for the future.

                As we look ahead, we have a choice to make. We can 
                repeat the mistakes of the past that left us vulnerable 
                to public health crises like COVID, or we can seize the 
                opportunity to better prepare ourselves for the future 
                and build a stronger public health system in every 
                community nationwide. Let's choose to move forward, 
                celebrating our dedicated public health professionals 
                and making America more healthy, resilient, and just.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 3 
                through April 9, 2023, as National Public Health Week. 
                I call on all citizens, government agencies, private 
                businesses, nonprofit organizations, and other groups 
                to take action to improve the health of our Nation.

[[Page 20377]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirty-first day of March, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-three, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                seventh.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2023-07316
Filed 4-4-23; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3395-F3-P