IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1359 

Supporting the goals and ideals of National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing 

and Awareness Day, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 21, 2008 

Ms. WATERS (for herself, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Ms. LEE, Ms. SOLIS, Ms. 

BORDALLO, Mr. WAXMAN, Ms. NORTON, Mr. JEFFERSON, Mr. MOORE

of Kansas, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. DOGGETT, Mrs. 

JONES of Ohio, Ms. BALDWIN, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. LINDA T. SA ́NCHEZ of California, Ms. CORRINE

BROWN of Florida, Mr. RUSH, Ms. MCCOLLUM of Minnesota, Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California, Mr. BACA, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Ms. 

SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SIRES, and Mr. CARSON) submitted the following 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 approximately 1,700,000 people in the United 

States have been infected by HIV/AIDS since the first 

cases were reported 27 years ago; 

Whereas there are approximately 1,200,000 people living with 

HIV/AIDS in the United States today; 


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•HRES 1359 IH 

Whereas there are approximately 40,000 new HIV infections 

and more than 14,000 new AIDS-related deaths every 

year in the United States; 

Whereas HIV/AIDS is spreading rapidly among women, 

young people, and racial minorities, all of which are demographic groups that were not considered to be at significant risk of HIV infection during the early years of 

the epidemic; 

Whereas women account for 27 percent of new AIDS cases 

in the United States, and teen girls account for 43 percent of new AIDS cases among teenagers; 

Whereas African-Americans account for about half of new 

AIDS cases, although only 12 percent of the population 

as a whole is black; 

Whereas Hispanic-Americans account for 19 percent of new 

AIDS cases, although only 15 percent of the population 

as a whole is Hispanic; 

Whereas Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders account for 

1 percent of new AIDS cases, and Native Americans and 

Alaskan Natives account for up to 1 percent of new 

AIDS cases; 

Whereas African-American women account for 66 percent of 

new AIDS cases among women; 

Whereas 70 percent of new AIDS cases are people of color; 

Whereas about 1 in 4 of the people living with HIV/AIDS in 

the United States do not know they are infected; 

Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 

guidelines for HIV screening in healthcare settings recommend routine HIV testing for all patients between the 

ages of 13 and 64, regardless of risk factors; 


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•HRES 1359 IH 

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 of 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’s 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 the National Minority AIDS Education and Training Center (NMAETC), the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) and the Communities Advocating Emergency AIDS Relief (CAEAR) Foundation declared Monday, July 21, 2008, to be the first annual National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and Awareness Day; 

Whereas NMAETC is a national collaborative network of clinicians and experts that provides capacity-building assistance and related support to improve the HIV-related primary care services available in minority communities; 

Whereas NMAETC is headquartered at Howard University’s 

College of Medicine in the District of Columbia and is 

comprised of 5 sites located at minority-serving institutions across the United States, as well as a premier data 

collection and management site housed at the University 

of Maryland; 


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•HRES 1359 IH 

Whereas NAPWA is a national network of people living with 

HIV/AIDS that advocates on behalf of all people living 

with HIV and AIDS in order to end the epidemic and the 

human suffering caused by HIV/AIDS; 

Whereas the CAEAR Foundation advances effective care and 

support for people living with HIV/AIDS by providing 

training, technical assistance, and research to organizations and communities; 

Whereas the first annual National Clinicians HIV/AIDS 

Testing and Awareness Day will give all physicians, physician assistants, 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 importance 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 nationwide to lead the way in dispelling the myths and stigma associated with HIV testing and become vocal advocates for patients and communities; and 

Whereas the National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and 

Awareness Day will encourage clinicians to become actively involved in HIV/AIDS awareness, testing, treatment, and referral services: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) supports the goals and ideals of the first 

3 annual National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and 

4 Awareness Day; 

5 (2) encourages primary care physicians and 

6 other clinicians nationwide to become actively inVerDate Aug 31 2005 21:26 Jul 21, 2008 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1359.IH HR1359

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•HRES 1359 IH 

1 volved in HIV/AIDS awareness, testing, treatment, 

2 and referral services; 

3 (3) encourages the media to observe the first 

4 annual National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and 

5 Awareness Day by educating clinicians about the im6 portant role they play in providing access to HIV/ 

7 AIDS awareness, testing, treatment, and referral 

8 services and by educating clinicians and the public 

9 about the benefits of HIV testing; and 

10 (4) encourages individuals to get tested for HIV 

11 and educate themselves about the prevention and 

12 treatment of HIV/AIDS. 

Æ 


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