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[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1406 Introduced in House (IH)]

110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1406

    Recognizing and supporting the work of Community Health Workers.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 31, 2008

  Ms. Solis (for herself, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Reyes, Mr. Rodriguez, Ms. 
Roybal-Allard, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Mrs. Christensen, Mr. Thompson of 
Mississippi, Ms. Bordallo, Ms. Matsui, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Waxman, Ms. 
 Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. Doggett, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Schwartz, Ms. Wasserman 
 Schultz, and Mr. Towns) submitted the following resolution; which was 
            referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
    Recognizing and supporting the work of Community Health Workers.

Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes Community 
        Health Workers as trusted and respected members of the community who 
        provide information, education, and formal and informal community-based, 
        health-related services to community members;
Whereas Community Health Workers and Promotoras are volunteers or paid 
        individuals and are often identified by titles such as Community Health 
        Advisor, Lay Health Advocate, and Community Health Representative;
Whereas in 2005, the United States had an estimated total of more than 121,000 
        Community Health Workers across all 50 States;
Whereas in 2000, the number of organizations employing Community Health Workers 
        was 6,300;
Whereas Community Health Workers conduct significant work almost exclusively in 
        community settings and serve as connectors between healthcare consumers 
        and providers;
Whereas according to the National Rural Health Association, Community Health 
        Worker programs are significant as they focus on assisting hard-to-reach 
        populations and the workers usually are indigenous to the target 
        population;
Whereas Community Health Workers are in a distinctive position to reduce 
        preventable morbidity and mortality, improve the quality of life, and 
        increase the utilization of available preventive health services for 
        medically-underserved communities that face barriers to care, including 
        poverty, geographic isolation, language, cultural differences, lack of 
        transportation, low literacy, and lack of access to services;
Whereas Community Health Workers, which are primarily women, can be a critical 
        component in conducting health promotion and disease prevention efforts 
        in medically-underserved populations and connecting disenfranchised and 
        medically-underserved populations to the health and social service 
        systems;
Whereas Community Health Workers serve communities that are Latino, African-
        American, White, Asian and Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska 
        Native;
Whereas approximately 1,400 Community Health Representatives work with tribal 
        managed or Indian Health Service programs in most of the more than 500 
        federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native communities;
Whereas uninsured individuals, immigrants, homeless individuals, isolated rural 
        residents, and migrant workers receive services from Community Health 
        Workers;
Whereas Community Health Workers facilitate and support activities across the 
        Nation to help accomplish the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention's goal of eliminating the preventable burdens of diabetes 
        through public health leadership, linkages, research, programs, and 
        policies; and
Whereas a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics 
        found that children in families who worked with Community Health Workers 
        were almost twice as likely to obtain health insurance than children 
        whose families received traditional Medicaid and State Children's Health 
        Insurance Program information and outreach, and were more than twice as 
        likely to remain continuously insured: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the unique work of Community Health Workers 
        in providing access to preventative care and other health 
        services in underserved and health disparity communities;
            (2) recognizes the role of Community Health Workers in 
        supporting and strengthening communities of color, particularly 
        in improving the health behaviors of minority women and 
        children; and
            (3) encourages those in our healthcare system to learn 
        about and support the distinctive role and impact of Community 
        Health Workers to improve the health of all Americans.
                                 <all>
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