III 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 428 

Promoting minority health awareness and supporting the goals and ideals 

of National Minority Health Month in April 2014, which include bringing 

attention to the health disparities faced by minority populations of the 

United States, such as American Indians, Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Hawaiians 

or other Pacific Islanders. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 29, 2014 

Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Mr. SCHATZ, and Mr. MENENDEZ) submitted the 

following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Promoting minority health awareness and supporting the 

goals and ideals of National Minority Health Month in 

April 2014, which include bringing attention to the 

health disparities faced by minority populations of the 

United States, such as American Indians, Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, African Americans, Hispanic 

Americans, and Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders. 

Whereas through the ‘‘National Stakeholder Strategy for 

Achieving Health Equity’’ and the ‘‘HHS Action Plan to 

Reduce Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities’’, the Department of Health and Human Services has set goals 


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•SRES 428 ATS 

and strategies to advance the safety, health, and wellbeing of people of the United States; 

Whereas a study by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, entitled ‘‘The Economic Burden of Health 

Inequalities in the United States’’, concludes that, between 2003 and 2006, the combined cost of ‘‘health inequalities and premature death in the United States’’ was 

$1,240,000,000,000; 

Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services has 

identified 6 main categories in which racial and ethnic 

minorities experience the most disparate access to health 

care and health outcomes, including infant mortality, 

cancer screening and management, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and immunizations; 

Whereas African-American women are more than twice as 

likely to die of cervical cancer than White women and are 

more likely to die of breast cancer than women of any 

other racial or ethnic group; 

Whereas the death rate from stroke is 50 percent higher 

among African Americans than among Whites; 

Whereas Native Hawaiians living in Hawaii are 5.7 times 

more likely to die of diabetes than non-Hispanic Whites 

living in Hawaii; 

Whereas in 2011, Asian Americans were 2.9 times more likely than Whites to contract Hepatitis A; 

Whereas among all ethnic groups in 2011, Asian Americans 

and Pacific Islanders had the highest incidence of Hepatitis A; 

Whereas Asian-American women are 1.5 times more likely 

than non-Hispanic Whites to die from viral hepatitis; 


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•SRES 428 ATS 

Whereas Asian Americans are 5.5 times more likely than 

Whites to develop chronic Hepatitis B; 

Whereas in 2011, 82 percent of children born infected with 

HIV belonged to minority groups; 

Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services has 

identified diseases of the heart, malignant neoplasm, unintentional injuries, and diabetes as some of the leading 

causes of death among American Indians and Alaska Natives; 

Whereas American Indians and Alaska Natives die from diabetes, alcoholism, unintentional injuries, homicide, and 

suicide at higher rates than other people in the United 

States; 

Whereas American Indians and Alaska Natives have a life expectancy that is 4.2 years shorter than the life expectancy of the overall population of the United States; 

Whereas marked differences in the social determinants of 

health, described by the World Health Organization as 

‘‘the high burden of illness responsible for appalling premature loss of life [that] arises in large part because of 

the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, 

and age’’, lead to poor health outcomes and declines in 

longevity; and 

Whereas community-based health care initiatives, such as 

prevention-focused programs, present a unique opportunity to use innovative approaches to improve health 

care practices across the United States and sharply reduce disparities among racial and ethnic minority populations: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate supports the goals and 

2 ideals of National Minority Health Month in April 2014, 


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1 which include bringing attention to the severe health dis2 parities faced by minority populations in the United 

3 States, such as American Indians, Alaska Natives, Asian 

4 Americans, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and 

5 Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders. 

Æ 


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