Raising awareness of the racial disparities in the impact of colorectal cancer on the Black community.

IV 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 224 Raising awareness of the racial disparities in the impact of colorectal cancer on the Black community. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MARCH 10, 2023 Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN (for herself, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. COHEN, Ms. CLARKE of New York, and Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce RESOLUTION Raising awareness of the racial disparities in the impact of colorectal cancer on the Black community. Whereas colorectal cancer, or CRC, is the third-most common cancer in the United States for men and women com- bined, and the second leading cause of cancer death; Whereas this disease takes the lives of more than 50,000 peo- ple each year; Whereas the rate of CRC is 21 percent higher among Black men and is 18.5 percent higher among Black women than compared to non-Hispanic Whites; Whereas the rate of CRC death is 31.5 percent higher among Black men and is 24.4 percent higher among Black women than compared to non-Hispanic Whites; VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:23 Mar 10, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR224.IH HR224 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 224 IH Whereas CRC is the third-leading cause of cancer death in both Black men and women in the United States; Whereas Black Americans have the lowest 5-year survival rate for CRC of any racial group in the United States; Whereas deaths from colorectal cancer among people younger than 55 have increased one percent per year from 2008 to 2017; Whereas the tragic death of 43-year-old actor Chadwick Boseman from colorectal cancer has catalyzed more con- versation about CRC’s impact on the Black community; Whereas, by 2030, it is expected that CRC will be the leading cause of death among people ages 20 to 49; and Whereas CRC has a 90-percent survival rate when caught at the earliest stage and there are many screening methods available: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) recognizes the deadly impact colorectal can- 2 cer has to the American people; 3 (2) acknowledges the racial disparity that the 4 Black community faces when dealing with colorectal 5 cancer; 6 (3) encourages the Centers for Disease Control 7 and Prevention to continue and expand their work to 8 identify those factors that result in the colorectal ra- 9 cial screening disparity and develop effective strate- 10 gies to reduce and ultimately eliminate racial dis- 11 parities in colorectal screening; 12 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:23 Mar 10, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR224.IH HR224 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 224 IH (4) encourages everyone get colorectal cancer 1 screening when recommended by the United States 2 Preventive Services Task Force; 3 (5) encourages the Centers for Disease Control 4 and Prevention to conduct research to determine any 5 environmental factors, and the National Institutes of 6 Health to conduct research into any physiological 7 factors that cause an elevated risk for colorectal can- 8 cer in young adults; and 9 (6) urges State health plans to quickly adopt 10 new measures to cover colorectal screenings for indi- 11 viduals at a lower age, with special consideration for 12 the Black community and all those at higher risk for 13 colorectal cancer. 14 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:23 Mar 10, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR224.IH HR224 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS