Supporting the goals and ideals of National Public Health Week.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 279 Supporting the goals and ideals of National Public Health Week. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 1, 2019 Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD (for herself, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. WITTMAN, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Mr. CISNEROS, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. COX of Cali- fornia, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mrs. DINGELL, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. MOORE, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. SABLAN, and Mr. SCHIFF) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce RESOLUTION Supporting the goals and ideals of National Public Health Week. Whereas the week of April 1, 2019, through April 7, 2019, is National Public Health Week; Whereas the theme for National Public Health Week in 2019 is ‘‘Creating the Healthiest Nation: For science. For ac- tion. For health.’’, with the goal of recognizing the con- tributions of public health in improving the country’s health and achieving health equity; Whereas according to the National Academy of Medicine, de- spite being one of the wealthiest nations in the world, the United States ranks well below many other economically prosperous and developing countries with respect to VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:57 Apr 01, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR279.IH HR279 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •HRES 279 IH measures of health including life expectancy, infant mor- tality, and maternal mortality rates; Whereas the life expectancy for the United States population declined for the third year in a row, and the leading causes of deaths are among the most common, costly, and preventable of all health problems; Whereas there is a significant difference in the health sta- tus—such as obesity rates, prevalence of chronic disease, and infectious disease—of people living in the healthiest States compared to people living in the least healthy States; Whereas despite significant progress in reducing the United States infant mortality rate to a historic low of 5.8 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2017, the number of in- fant deaths in the United States greatly varies among States and far outpaces that of other economically pros- perous and developing nations; Whereas more women die from pregnancy-related deaths in the United States than any other developed country, and an estimated 60 percent of such maternal deaths are pre- ventable; Whereas drug overdoses more than tripled from 1999 to 2016 and have become the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, with an average of 130 peo- ple dying every day; Whereas the percentage of adults smoking cigarettes in the United States, the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States and accounting for more than 480,000 deaths every year, including more than 41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke, de- creased from 20.9 percent in 2005 to 14 percent in 2017; VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:57 Apr 01, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR279.IH HR279 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •HRES 279 IH Whereas according to National Youth Tobacco Survey data, current electronic cigarette use in the United States in- creased by 78 percent among high school students and increased by 48 percent among middle school students from 2017 to 2018; Whereas the value of a strong public health system is in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and the places where we all live, learn, work, worship, and play; Whereas public health organizations use National Public Health Week to educate the 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 pre- vention can result in significant savings in health care costs; Whereas vaccination is one of the most significant public health achievements in history and has resulted in sub- stantial declines in cases, hospitalizations, deaths, and health care costs associated with vaccine-preventable dis- eases; Whereas each 10-percent increase in local public health spending contributes to a 6.9-percent decrease in infant deaths, a 3.2-percent decrease in deaths related to cardio- vascular disease, a 1.4-percent decrease in deaths due to diabetes, and a 1.1-percent decrease in cancer-related deaths; Whereas public health professionals help communities pre- vent, prepare for, withstand, and recover from the impact of a full range of health threats, including disease out- VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:57 Apr 01, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR279.IH HR279 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •HRES 279 IH breaks such as the Zika virus and measles, natural disas- ters, and disasters caused by human activity; Whereas public health professionals collaborate with partners that are not in the health sector, such as city planners, transportation officials, education officials, and private sector businesses, recognizing that other sectors have an important influence on health; Whereas in communities across the United States, people are changing the way they care for their health by avoiding tobacco use, eating healthier foods, becoming more phys- ically active, and preventing unintentional injuries at home and in the workplace; and Whereas efforts to adequately support public health and dis- ease and injury prevention can continue to transform a health system focused on treating illness into a health system focused on preventing disease and injury and pro- moting wellness: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) supports the goals and ideals of National 2 Public Health Week; 3 (2) recognizes the efforts of public health pro- 4 fessionals, the Federal Government, States, Tribes, 5 municipalities, local communities, and individuals in 6 preventing disease and injury; 7 (3) recognizes the role of public health in im- 8 proving the health of individuals in the United 9 States; 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:57 Apr 01, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR279.IH HR279 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 5 •HRES 279 IH (4) encourages increased efforts and resources 1 to improve the health of people in the United States 2 to create the healthiest country in one generation 3 through— 4 (A) greater opportunities to improve com- 5 munity health and prevent disease and injury; 6 and 7 (B) strengthening the public health system 8 in the United States; and 9 (5) encourages the people of the United States 10 to learn about the role of the public health system 11 in improving health in the United States. 12 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:57 Apr 01, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR279.IH HR279 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS