IV 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 699 

Promoting minority health awareness and supporting the goals and ideals 

of National Minority Health Month in April 2016, which includes bringing attention to the health disparities faced by minority populations 

of the United States such as American Indians, Alaskan Natives, Asian 

Americans, African-Americans, Latino Americans, and Native Hawaiians 

or other Pacific Islanders. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 21, 2016 

Mr. AL GREEN of Texas (for himself, Ms. LEE, Mr. CA ́RDENAS, Ms. JUDY

CHU of California, Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico, Ms. 

KELLY of Illinois, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. BEN RAY LUJA ́N of New Mexico, and Ms. CLARKE of New York) 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 2016, which includes bringing attention to the 

health disparities faced by minority populations of the 

United States such as American Indians, Alaskan Natives, Asian Americans, African-Americans, Latino Americans, and Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders. 

Whereas the origin of the National Minority Health Month 

is National Negro Health Week formed in 1915 by Dr. 

Booker T. Washington; 


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Whereas the theme for National Minority Health Month in 

2016 is ‘‘Accelerating Health Equity for the Nation’’; 

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 

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 2012 were 10-percent 

less likely to have been diagnosed with breast cancer, yet, 

were almost 42-percent more likely to die from breast 

cancer compared to non-Hispanic White women; 

Whereas African-American women are twice as likely to lose 

their lives to cervical cancer as non-Hispanic White 

women; 

Whereas African-Americans are 50-percent more likely to die 

from a stroke than non-Hispanic Whites; 


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Whereas in 2013, Hispanics were 1.4 times more likely than 

non-Hispanic Whites to die of diabetes; 

Whereas Latino men are twice as likely to have either HIV 

infections or AIDS as compared to non-Hispanic White 

men; 

Whereas Latina women are 3 times more likely to have AIDS 

as compared to non-Hispanic White women; 

Whereas in 2014, although African-Americans represented 

only 13 percent of the United States population, they accounted for 43 percent of HIV infections in that year; 

Whereas in 2010, African-American youth accounted for an 

estimated 57 percent of all new HIV infections among 

youth in the United States, followed by 20 percent of 

Latino youth; 

Whereas Asian American women are 18.2-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 2012, Asian Americans were 1.6 times more likely than non-Hispanic Whites to contract Hepatitis A; 

Whereas among all ethnic groups in 2012, 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 

non-Hispanic Whites to develop chronic Hepatitis B; 


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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 Alaskan Natives; 

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

suicide at higher rates than other people in the United 

States; 

Whereas American Indians and Alaskan Natives have a life 

expectancy that is 4.4 years shorter than the life expectancy of the overall population of the United States; 

Whereas African-American babies are almost twice as likely 

as non-Hispanic White or Latino babies to be born at low 

birth weight; 

Whereas American Indian and Alaskan Native babies are 

twice as likely as non-Hispanic White babies to die from 

sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS); 

Whereas American Indian and Alaskan Natives have 1.5 

times the infant mortality rate as non-Hispanic Whites; 

Whereas American Indian and Alaskan Native babies are 50- 

percent more likely to die before their first birthday than 

babies of non-Hispanic Whites; 

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; 


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Whereas the ACA provides specific protections and rights for 

American Indians and Alaskan Natives, 23 percent of 

whom lack health insurance; 

Whereas despite the substantial improvements in health insurance coverage among women overall, women of color 

are more likely to be uninsured; 

Whereas in 2013, 15.9 percent of African-Americans were 

uninsured, as compared to 9.8 percent of non-Hispanic 

Whites; 

Whereas African-American women are more likely to be uninsured or underinsured, at a rate of 19 percent; 

Whereas one-quarter of Latinas live in poverty and compose 

the greatest number of uninsured among women in any 

other racial group at a rate of 31 percent; 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, Alaskan Natives, Asian 

6 Americans, African-Americans, Latino Americans, and 

7 Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders. 

Æ 


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