III 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 662 

Supporting the goals and ideals of National Public Health Week. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 28, 2020 

Mr. UDALL (for himself, Mr. BROWN, Ms. HASSAN, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. 

KING, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. MARKEY, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, 

Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. HEINRICH, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Ms. SMITH, Mr. COONS, and Mrs. MURRAY) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the goals and ideals of National Public Health 

Week. 

Whereas the week of April 6, 2020, is National Public Health 

Week; 

Whereas the theme for National Public Health Week in 2020 

is ‘‘NPHW @ 25: Looking Back, Moving Forward.’’; 

Whereas the goal of National Public Health Week in 2020 

is to recognize the contributions of public health in— 

(1) improving the health of the people of the United 

States; and 

(2) achieving health equity; 

Whereas, as of the date of introduction of this resolution, the 

United States and the global community are responding 


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to the COVID–19 pandemic, which requires support 

for— 

(1) a robust public health workforce; 

(2) State, territorial, local, and Tribal health departments, health care workers, public health laboratories, 

and first responders; 

(3) diagnostic testing of new and potential COVID– 

19 cases and activities related to epidemiology and public 

health data; 

(4) complying with appropriate social distancing and 

quarantine recommendations; 

(5) relieving financial burdens for individuals in the 

United States hurt by the COVID–19 pandemic, including public health emergency leave; 

(6) State Medicaid programs and community health 

centers to ensure care for vulnerable populations; 

(7) collaboration between the Federal Government, 

State and local governments, schools, businesses, and employers to support public health measures to decrease 

community spread of COVID–19; and 

(8) investment in the Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention, which support infectious disease outbreak preparedness and critical public health infrastructure for State and local health departments and public 

health laboratories; 

Whereas, in 2018, the life expectancy for the population of 

the United States slightly increased for the first time in 

4 years; 

Whereas many of the leading causes of death for individuals 

in the United States result from chronic conditions, 

which are among the most common, costly, and preventable of all health challenges; 


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Whereas there are significant differences in the health status 

of individuals living in the most healthy States and those 

living in the least healthy States, including differences in 

obesity rates, the prevalence of chronic disease, and the 

prevalence of infectious disease; 

Whereas racial and ethnic minority populations in the United 

States continue to experience disparities in the burden of 

illness and death, as compared with the entire population 

of the United States; 

Whereas violence is a leading cause of premature death, and 

it is estimated that more than 7 individuals per hour die 

a violent death in the United States; 

Whereas deaths from homicides cost the economy of the 

United States billions of dollars, and the violence of 

homicides can cause social and emotional distress, community trauma, injury, disability, depression, anxiety, 

and post-traumatic stress disorder; 

Whereas emergency department visits for suicidal thoughts or 

self-harm increased 25.5 percent between January 2017 

and December 2018, with substantial increases occurring 

in younger age groups; 

Whereas an estimated 1 in 7 children in the United States 

experiences child abuse and neglect, which imposes an 

annual lifetime economic burden of approximately 

$428,000,000,000 on the population of the United 

States; 

Whereas, despite significant progress in reducing the infant 

mortality rate in the United States to a historic low of 

5.8 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2017, the infant mortality rate in the United States greatly varies 

among States; 


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Whereas women die from pregnancy-related complications in 

the United States at a higher rate than in many other 

developed countries, and an estimated 60 percent of maternal deaths in the United States are preventable; 

Whereas, although overall drug overdose deaths in the United 

States decreased 4.1 percent between 2017 and 2018, 

drug overdose deaths attributed to synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, increased by 10 percent during the 

same time period; 

Whereas cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable 

disease and death in the United States, accounting for 

more than 480,000 deaths every year, including more 

than 41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke; 

Whereas the percentage of adults in the United States who 

smoke cigarettes has decreased from 20.9 percent of the 

population in 2005 to 13.7 percent of the population in 

2018; 

Whereas, according to data from the National Youth Tobacco 

Survey, between 2017 and 2019, e-cigarette use— 

(1) more than doubled among high school students, 

rising from 11.7 percent to 27.5 percent; and 

(2) tripled among middle school students, rising 

from 3.3 percent to 10.5 percent; 

Whereas, in 2016, fine particulate air pollution led to more 

than 64,000 premature deaths in the United States, and 

Black and Hispanic minorities were disproportionately 

impacted; 

Whereas public health organizations use National Public 

Health Week to educate public policymakers and public 

health professionals on issues that are important to improving the health of the people of the United States; 


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Whereas studies show that small strategic investments in disease prevention can result in significant savings in health 

care costs; 

Whereas vaccination is one of the most significant public 

health achievements in history and has resulted in substantial decreases in— 

(1) the number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths 

associated with vaccine-preventable diseases; and 

(2) health care costs associated with vaccine-preventable diseases; 

Whereas each 10 percent increase in local public health 

spending contributes to a— 

(1) 6.9 percent decrease in infant deaths; 

(2) 3.2 percent decrease in deaths related to cardiovascular disease; 

(3) 1.4 percent decrease in deaths due to diabetes; 

and 

(4) 1.1 percent decrease in cancer-related deaths; 

Whereas public health professionals help communities prevent, prepare for, mitigate, and recover from the impact 

of a full range of health threats, including— 

(1) disease outbreaks, such as the COVID–19 pandemic; 

(2) natural disasters, such as wildfires, flooding, and 

severe storms; and 

(3) others disasters, including disasters caused by 

human activity and public health emergencies; 

Whereas public health professionals collaborate with partners 

outside of the health sector, including city planners, 

transportation officials, education officials, and private 

sector businesses, recognizing that other sectors can influence health outcomes; 


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Whereas, in communities across the United States, individuals are changing the way they care for their health by 

avoiding tobacco use, eating healthier, increasing physical 

activity, and preventing unintentional injuries at home 

and in the workplace; and 

Whereas efforts to adequately support public health and the 

prevention of disease and injury can continue to transform a health system focused on treating illness into a 

health system focused on preventing disease and injury 

and promoting wellness: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) supports the goals and ideals of National 

3 Public Health Week; 

4 (2) recognizes the efforts of public health pro5 fessionals, the Federal Government, States, Tribes, 

6 municipalities, local communities, and individuals in 

7 preventing disease and injury; 

8 (3) recognizes the role of public health in— 

9 (A) preventing and responding to infec10 tious disease outbreaks, such as the COVID–19 

11 pandemic; 

12 (B) mitigating short-term and long-term 

13 impacts of infectious disease outbreaks on the 

14 health and wellness of individuals in the United 

15 States; 


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1 (C) addressing social and other deter2 minants of health, including health disparities 

3 experienced by minority populations; and 

4 (D) improving the overall health of individ5 uals and communities in the United States; 

6 (4) encourages increased efforts and resources 

7 to— 

8 (A) improve the health of individuals in the 

9 United States; and 

10 (B) make the United States, in 1 genera11 tion, the healthiest nation in the world by— 

12 (i) providing greater opportunities to 

13 improve community health and prevent dis14 ease and injury; and 

15 (ii) strengthening the public health 

16 system in the United States; and 

17 (5) encourages the people of the United States 

18 to learn about the role of the public health system 

19 in improving health across the United States. 

Æ 


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