III 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 675 

Promoting minority health awareness and supporting the goals and ideals 

of National Minority Health Month in April 2024, 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, Hispanics, and Native Hawaiians and other 

Pacific Islanders. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 2, 2024 

Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. 

RUBIO, Mr. PADILLA, Mr. BROWN, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. MENENDEZ, and 

Mr. BRAUN) 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 2024, 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, Hispanics, and Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders. 

Whereas the origin of National Minority Health Month is National Negro Health Week, established in 1915 by Dr. 

Booker T. Washington; 


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Whereas the theme for National Minority Health Month in 

2024 is ‘‘Be the Source for Better Health: Improving 

Health Outcomes Through Our Cultures, Communities, 

and Connections’’; 

Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services has 

set goals and strategies to enhance and protect the health 

and well-being of the people of the United States; 

Whereas African American women were as likely to have been 

diagnosed with breast cancer as non-Hispanic White 

women, but African American women were almost 40 

percent more likely to die from breast cancer than nonHispanic White women between 2015 and 2019; 

Whereas African American women were twice as likely to be 

diagnosed with and 2.3 times more likely to die of stomach cancer than non-Hispanic White women; 

Whereas African American men are 70 percent more likely to 

die from a stroke than non-Hispanic White men; 

Whereas Hispanics are twice as likely as non-Hispanic 

Whites to be hospitalized for end-stage renal disease 

caused by diabetes, and are 30 percent more likely to die 

of diabetes, than non-Hispanic Whites; 

Whereas Asian Americans are 40 percent more likely to be 

diagnosed with diabetes than non-Hispanic Whites; 

Whereas the HIV or AIDS case rate among Hispanic men is 

4.2 times the HIV or AIDS case rate among non-Hispanic White men; 

Whereas Hispanic women are 3 times as likely as non-Hispanic White women to die of HIV; 


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Whereas, in 2019, African Americans accounted for 42.1 percent of HIV infections and Hispanic Americans accounted for almost 30 percent of HIV infections; 

Whereas, in 2019, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders 

were 2.4 times more likely to be diagnosed with HIV 

than non-Hispanic Whites; 

Whereas, in 2018, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders 

were 2.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes 

than non-Hispanic Whites; 

Whereas, although the prevalence of obesity is high among all 

population groups in the United States, 48.1 percent of 

American Indian and Alaska Natives, 51.7 percent of 

Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, 38.3 percent of 

African Americans, 34.9 percent of Hispanics, 30 percent 

of non-Hispanic Whites, and 13 percent of Asian Americans older than 18 years old were obese; 

Whereas Asian American and Pacific Islander adults accounted for almost half of chronic Hepatitis B cases, and 

non-Hispanic White adults accounted for 13.5 percent of 

chronic Hepatitis B cases; 

Whereas heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes are some 

of the leading causes of death among American Indians 

and Alaska Natives; 

Whereas American Indians and Alaska Natives have a higher 

prevalence of and are at a higher risk of diabetes, substance use, obesity, sudden infant death syndrome, liver 

disease, viral hepatitis, and suicide than other groups in 

the United States; 

Whereas American Indians and Alaska Natives have a life expectancy that is 5.5 years shorter than the average person in the United States; 


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Whereas African American women die from childbirth or 

pregnancy-related causes at a rate that is 3 times higher 

than the rate for non-Hispanic White women; 

Whereas African American infants are almost 4 times more 

likely to die due to complications related to low birth 

weight than non-Hispanic white infants; 

Whereas American Indians and Alaska Natives have an infant mortality rate almost twice as high as that of nonHispanic Whites; 

Whereas American Indian and Alaska Native infants are 2.7 

times more likely to die from accidental deaths before 

their first birthday than non-Hispanic White infants; 

Whereas approximately 1,000 babies are born with sickle cell 

disease each year in the United States, with the disease 

occurring in approximately 1 in 350 newborn Black or 

African-American infants and 1 in 16,300 newborn Hispanic-American infants, and can be found in individuals 

of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Asian, and Indian origin; 

Whereas, while more than 1 in 6 older adults have untreated 

cavities, non-Hispanic Black older adults have between 2 

and 3 times the rate of untreated cavities as non-Hispanic White older adults; 

Whereas the 2022 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report found American Indians and Alaska Natives 

received worse care than non-Hispanic Whites on 43 percent of quality measures; and 

Whereas the health innovations of the United States present 

a unique opportunity to improve public health and health 

care practices across the United States and to reduce disVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:08 May 03, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR675.ATS SR675

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parities among racial and ethnic minority populations: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate supports the recognition 

2 of National Minority Health Month in April 2024, which 

3 includes bringing attention to the health disparities faced 

4 by minority populations in the United States, such as 

5 American Indians, Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, Afri6 can Americans, Hispanics, and Native Hawaiians and 

7 other Pacific Islanders. 

Æ 


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