IV 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. RES. 873 Recognizing the impact and importance of improving prevention, detection, and treatment modalities for African-American women with cardio- vascular disease and diabetes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 27, 2020 Mrs. BEATTY submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce RESOLUTION Recognizing the impact and importance of improving preven- tion, detection, and treatment modalities for African- American women with cardiovascular disease and diabe- tes. Whereas cardiovascular disease (CVD)—including coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, and high blood pres- sure—is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States; Whereas African Americans have a three-fold greater risk of developing CVD than all other Americans; Whereas according to the American Heart Association, among African-American women ages 20 and older, near- ly half (48.3 percent) already have CVD; VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:10 Feb 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR873.IH HR873 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 873 IH Whereas higher rates of heart attack, sudden cardiac arrest, heart failure, and stroke disproportionately affect Afri- can-American women; Whereas CVD kills nearly 50,000 African-American women annually, but only one in five African-American women believes she is personally at risk; Whereas major risk factors for heart disease, including diabe- tes, smoking, elevated blood pressure, high blood choles- terol, physical inactivity, obesity, and a family history of heart disease, all disproportionately impact Black women; Whereas research shows that prolonged exposure to stress, as from coping with racism, may produce higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol in Black women which can lead to higher rates of obesity, thereby increasing the risk of heart disease and other chronic illness; Whereas cardiovascular disease poses a significant financial burden in the form of direct health care costs and lost productivity, costing the United States approximately $200 billion a year; Whereas cardiovascular events such as stroke can cause per- manent and debilitating damage with only 10 percent of stroke survivors making a full recovery; Whereas 39.5 million women have prediabetes; Whereas diabetes has been linked to cardiovascular illnesses, and adult diabetics are more likely to be at risk for heart attacks, strokes, and high blood pressure; Whereas diabetes has been linked to cardiovascular illnesses; Whereas many African-American women with diabetes are unaware that having diabetes increases their risk for CVD; VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:10 Feb 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR873.IH HR873 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 873 IH Whereas women with diabetes are 40 percent more likely to develop heart disease; Whereas at least 68 percent of people with diabetes age 65 and older die of some form of heart disease and 16 per- cent die from stroke; Whereas gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a disease characterized by high blood sugar (glucose) levels during pregnancy, and it raises a mother’s risk of getting type 2 diabetes and heart disease later in life; Whereas African-American women who develop GDM during pregnancy face a 52 percent increased risk of developing diabetes in the future compared to White women who de- velop GDM; and Whereas cardiovascular complications are the leading cause of pregnancy-related death in Black women: Now, there- fore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) recognizes the importance of decreasing car- 2 diovascular disease among all populations, especially 3 among African-American women; 4 (2) recognizes the unique factors that impact 5 African Americans, including racism and stress, 6 which lead to disproportionately rates of heart dis- 7 ease, stroke, diabetes, and maternal mortality; 8 (3) promotes the necessity of spreading aware- 9 ness and improving education about cardiovascular 10 risk factors and preventive health and lifestyle 11 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:10 Feb 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR873.IH HR873 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 873 IH choices that contribute to reduced cardiovascular 1 risk; 2 (4) recognizes prevention of cardiovascular dis- 3 ease and related risk factors as the foundation for 4 effective, lifelong management of cardiovascular 5 health; 6 (5) supports the education of patients, health 7 care providers, and policymakers about cardio- 8 vascular health; 9 (6) recognizes the value of investment in cardio- 10 vascular disease therapy research and development; 11 (7) encourages early and continuous patient ac- 12 cess to innovative, lifesaving cardiovascular disease 13 therapies; 14 (8) supports the importance of health manage- 15 ment strategies that improve access to cardio- 16 vascular testing and preventive services in all com- 17 munities; 18 (9) recognizes the importance of decreasing the 19 prevalence of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes for 20 all in the United States; 21 (10) recognizes the release of the report entitled 22 Black Women Vote: National Health Policy Agenda 23 2018–2019, which is a foundational policy blueprint 24 that offers evidence to both policymakers and practi- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:10 Feb 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR873.IH HR873 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HRES 873 IH tioners as to why the health and wellness of more 1 than 20 million Black women matter in the United 2 States; and 3 (11) recognizes that WomenHeart: the National 4 Coalition for Women with Heart Disease is a pa- 5 tient-centered organization that supports, educates, 6 and advocates for all women living with and at high 7 risk of heart disease in order to improve their health 8 and quality of life and to address inequities in health 9 care for women. 10 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:10 Feb 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR873.IH HR873 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS