Supporting the goals and ideals of National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and Awareness Day, and for other purposes.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 504 Supporting the goals and ideals of National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and Awareness Day, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JULY 18, 2019 Ms. WATERS (for herself, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. NORTON, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. RUSH, Mr. SEAN PATRICK MALONEY of New York, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. COX of California, Mr. NADLER, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. COHEN, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. CISNEROS, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. MEEKS, Mrs. AXNE, Ms. JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. TITUS, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois, and Mr. SMITH of Washington) submitted the fol- lowing resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce RESOLUTION Supporting the goals and ideals of National Clinicians HIV/ AIDS Testing and Awareness Day, and for other purposes. Whereas HIV/AIDS is a devastating epidemic that continues to spread in communities throughout the United States; Whereas more than 1,800,000 people in the United States have been infected by HIV/AIDS since the first cases were reported 38 years ago; Whereas there are more than 1,100,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States today; VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:22 Jul 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR504.IH HR504 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •HRES 504 IH Whereas, every year in the United States, there are more than 38,500 new HIV infections; Whereas President Barack Obama released the National HIV/AIDS Strategy on July 13, 2010, in order to refocus attention on the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic; Whereas the National HIV/AIDS Strategy focuses on three major goals, including reducing the number of new HIV infections, increasing access to care and improving health outcomes for people living with HIV and AIDS, and re- ducing HIV-related health disparities; Whereas HIV/AIDS is spreading rapidly among women, young people, and racial minorities, all of which are de- mographic groups that were not considered to be at sig- nificant risk of HIV infection during the early years of the epidemic; Whereas African Americans account for 43 percent of new HIV diagnoses, although only 12 percent of the popu- lation as a whole is Black; Whereas Hispanic Americans account for 26 percent of new HIV diagnoses, although only 18 percent of the popu- lation as a whole is Hispanic; Whereas Asian Americans account for 2 percent of new HIV diagnoses, and American Indians/Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders, and individuals of multiple races together account for an additional 3 percent; Whereas African-American women account for 59 percent of new HIV diagnoses among women; Whereas people of color account for 74 percent of new HIV diagnoses; VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:22 Jul 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR504.IH HR504 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •HRES 504 IH Whereas about 15 percent of the people living with HIV/ AIDS in the United States do not know they are in- fected; Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines for HIV screening in health care settings rec- ommend routine HIV testing for all patients between the ages of 13 and 64, regardless of risk factors; Whereas individuals are more likely to act responsibly and protect themselves and other persons in the community when they know their HIV status; Whereas encouraging people to be tested for HIV is a critical element in HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment efforts; Whereas individuals who are HIV-positive must learn their status in order to obtain counseling on managing their health, access appropriate medical and social services, begin life-prolonging treatment, and take actions to avoid spreading the virus to others; Whereas physicians, physician assistants, nurses, dentists, and other clinicians play a vital role in providing access to HIV/AIDS awareness, testing, treatment, and referral services, and in encouraging patients to get tested for HIV; Whereas Howard University College of Medicine has declared July 21, 2019, to be the twelfth annual National Clini- cians HIV/AIDS Testing and Awareness Day in an effort to encourage clinicians nationwide to become actively in- volved in HIV/AIDS awareness, testing, treatment, and referral services; Whereas a diverse group of organizations representing com- munities affected by HIV/AIDS have partnered with Howard University College of Medicine to promote the VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:22 Jul 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR504.IH HR504 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •HRES 504 IH goals and ideals of National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Test- ing and Awareness Day; Whereas the National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and Awareness Day will give all physicians, physician assist- ants, nurses, dentists, and other clinicians an opportunity to get personally involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS by taking an HIV test, personally demonstrating the im- portance as well as the ease of HIV testing; Whereas the National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and Awareness Day will be a call to action to clinicians na- tionwide to lead the way in dispelling the myths and stig- ma associated with HIV testing and become vocal advo- cates for patients and communities; and Whereas the National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and Awareness Day will encourage clinicians to become ac- tively involved in HIV/AIDS awareness, testing, treat- ment, and referral services: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) supports the goals and ideals of the Na- 2 tional Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and Awareness 3 Day; 4 (2) encourages primary care physicians and 5 other clinicians nationwide to become actively in- 6 volved in HIV/AIDS awareness, testing, treatment, 7 and referral services; 8 (3) encourages the media to observe the Na- 9 tional Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and Awareness 10 Day by educating clinicians about the important role 11 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:22 Jul 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR504.IH HR504 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 5 •HRES 504 IH they play in providing access to HIV/AIDS aware- 1 ness, testing, treatment, and referral services and by 2 educating clinicians and the public about the bene- 3 fits of HIV testing; and 4 (4) encourages individuals to get tested for HIV 5 and educate themselves about the prevention and 6 treatment of HIV/AIDS. 7 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:22 Jul 18, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR504.IH HR504 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS