[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 133, 116th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 9944 of October 4, 2019

Child Health Day, 2019

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

On Child Health Day, we recognize that America's children are the
promise of our Nation, and their health and well-being are among our
greatest responsibilities. Today, we recommit to our children growing
strong, dreaming big, and reaching their full potential.
In partnership with families and communities, my Administration is
implementing new Federal programs and supporting new State-level
initiatives that help diagnose, prevent, and combat diseases and
maintain health and wellness from childhood through adulthood. The
Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant Program continues to
provide funding to all States to improve access to quality healthcare
services for low-income women, children, and families by improving the
outcomes of high-risk pregnancies, reducing infant deaths, promoting
childhood immunizations, and protecting against diseases. Additionally,
I have approved funding for the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood
Home Visiting Program to support Federal, State, and community partners
in offering voluntary home visiting services that empower caregivers
with the evidence-based skills and resources they need to raise healthy
and happy children. I also signed into law the SUPPORT Act, which
addresses the most vulnerable victims of the opioid crisis by allowing
State Medicaid programs to cover healthcare services for infants
suffering from neonatal abstinence syndrome in residential pediatric
recovery centers.
My Administration is also working to eradicate the leading cause of
post-infancy death among our Nation's young people--childhood cancer.
Working with the Congress, the Federal Government will invest $500
million over the next decade in pediatric cancer research. This funding
will enable our Nation's best scientists and doctors to learn from those
young people living with this disease, creating new opportunities to
understand the unique causes of and best cures for childhood cancer. We
must continue to employ every resource available to

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ensure that the more than 15,000 children and adolescents under the age
of 19 diagnosed with cancer each year receive the best possible care and
treatment so they can triumph in their battle against this horrible
disease.
America's young people are facing unprecedented challenges at school, in
their homes, and in their communities. From bullying and negative social
media interactions to the impacts of the opioid crisis on themselves and
their loved ones, we must do more to foster an environment that promotes
a culture of respect for every human life. That is why I am proud of the
work our First Lady, Melania Trump, has undertaken through her BE BEST
initiative to promote childhood health and well-being by encouraging
healthy living, kindness, compassion, and respect. This remarkable
program is helping children build a solid foundation to navigate life's
many challenges and to develop positive social, emotional, and physical
habits that will help them become future leaders of our great country.
Parents play a critical role in raising healthy and happy children, and
their important work is bolstered by the love and support of extended
family, community members, caregivers, mentors, educators, faith
leaders, and respectable role models. On Child Health Day, we urge all
citizens to reaffirm their commitment to ensuring the physical,
spiritual, and emotional health of our Nation's most precious resource.
The Congress, by a joint resolution approved May 18, 1928, as amended
(36 U.S.C. 105), has called for the designation of the first Monday in
October as Child Health Day and has requested that the President issue a
proclamation in observance of this day.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, 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 Monday, October 7,
2019, as Child Health Day. I call upon families, child health
professionals, faith-based and community organizations, and governments
to help ensure that America's children stay safe and healthy.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of
October, in the year of our Lord two thousand nineteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
fourth.
DONALD J. TRUMP