IV 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 238 

Promoting minority health awareness and supporting the goals and ideals 

of National Minority Health Month in April 2015, which includes 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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 30, 2015 

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas (for himself, Mr. BEN RAY LUJA ́N of New Mexico, 

Mr. CA ́RDENAS, Ms. JUDY CHU of California, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Ms. 

CLARKE of New York, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico, and Ms. LEE) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 

RESOLUTION 

Promoting minority health awareness and supporting the 

goals and ideals of National Minority Health Month in 

April 2015, which includes 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 DeVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:08 May 06, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR238.IH HR238

smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•HRES 238 IH 

partment of Health and Human Services has set goals 

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 twice as likely to die 

of cervical cancer than non-Hispanic White women; 

Whereas African-American women in 2009 were 10 percent 

less likely to have been diagnosed with breast cancer, 

however, they were almost 40 percent more likely to die 

from breast cancer compared to non-Hispanic White 

women; 

Whereas African Americans are 1.4 times more likely to die 

from a stroke than non-Hispanic Whites; 

Whereas in 2010, Hispanics were 1.5 times more likely than 

non-Hispanic Whites to die of diabetes; 

Whereas Hispanic males are 3 times as likely to have either 

HIV infections or AIDS as compared to non-Hispanic 

White males, and Hispanic women are 4 times as likely 

to have AIDS as compared to non-Hispanic White 

women; 


smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HRES 238 IH 

Whereas in 2010, although African Americans represented 

only 13 percent of the United States population, they accounted for 44 percent of HIV infections in that year; 

Whereas Asian American women are 20 percent more likely 

to be diagnosed with HIV than non-Hispanic White 

women; 

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; 

Whereas Asian Americans are 5.5 times more likely than 

Whites to develop chronic Hepatitis B; 

Whereas in 2013, 80 percent of children born infected with 

HIV belonged to minority groups; 

Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services has 

identified heart disease, stroke, cancer, 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; 


smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•HRES 238 IH 

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 for 

practices across the United States and sharply reduce 

disparities among racial and ethnic minority populations: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives supports 

2 the goals and ideals of National Minority Health Month, 

3 which includes bringing attention to the severe health dis4 parities faced by minority populations in the United 

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

6 Americans, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and 

7 Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders. 

Æ 


smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS