III 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 613 

Promoting minority health awareness and supporting the goals and ideals 

of National Minority Health Month in April 2022, 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 or other 

Pacific Islanders. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 3, 2022 

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

RUBIO, Mr. BRAUN, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. 

PADILLA, Mrs. CAPITO, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. BROWN, Ms. 

CORTEZ MASTO, and Mr. SCHATZ) 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 2022, 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 or 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 

2022 is ‘‘Give Your Community a Boost!’’; 

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

Inequalities in the United States’’, concluded 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 African American women were as likely to have been 

diagnosed with breast cancer as non-Hispanic White 

women, but African American women were 41 percent 

more likely to die from breast cancer than non-Hispanic 

White women between 2015 and 2019; 

Whereas African American women were twice as likely to be 

diagnosed with and 2.2 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 

more than 4 times the HIV or AIDS case rate among 

non-Hispanic White men; 


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

Whereas, in 2019, although African Americans represented 

only 13 percent of the population of the United States, 

African Americans accounted for 42.1 percent of new 

HIV diagnoses; 

Whereas, in 2019, African American youth accounted for 

more than 50 percent, and Hispanic youth accounted for 

more than 10 percent, of all new HIV diagnoses among 

youth in the United States; 

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 Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander men are 10 

percent more likely to die from cancer than non-Hispanic 

White men; 

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 (not including 

overweight); 

Whereas Asian Americans accounted for 30.1 percent of 

chronic Hepatitis B cases, and non-Hispanic Whites accounted for 13.5 percent of chronic Hepatitis B cases; 


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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 higher 

prevalence and are at a higher risk of diabetes, substance 

use, obesity, sudden infant death syndrome, and suicide 

than other groups in the United States; 

Whereas American Indians and Alaska Natives have a life expectancy that is 2.2 years shorter than the life expectancy of the overall population of the United States; 

Whereas African American women die from childbirth or 

pregnancy-related causes at a rate that is 3 to 4 times 

higher than the rate for non-Hispanic White women; 

Whereas African American infants are 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 twice as high as that of non-Hispanic 

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 365 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 the 2021 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report found African Americans received worse care 


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than non-Hispanic Whites for about 43 percent of quality 

measures, American Indians and Alaska Natives received 

worse care than non-Hispanic Whites for about 40 percent of quality measures, Hispanics received worse care 

than non-Hispanic Whites for 36 percent of quality measures, and Asian Americans and Native Hawaiians and 

Pacific Islanders received worse care than non-Hispanic 

Whites for nearly 30 percent of quality measures; 

Whereas nearly 25 percent of reported COVID–19 cases are 

among Hispanics compared to less than 55 percent comprising non-Hispanic Whites; 

Whereas 3 times more American Indians and Alaska Natives, 

2.3 times more Hispanics, and 2.4 times more African 

Americans were hospitalized due to COVID–19 compared 

to non-Hispanic Whites; 

Whereas significant differences in social determinants of 

health can lead to poor health outcomes and declines in 

life expectancy; and 

Whereas community-based health care initiatives, such as 

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

health and health care practices across the United States 

and to 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 2022, 

3 which include bringing attention to the health disparities 

4 faced by minority populations in the United States, such 

5 as American Indians, Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, 


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1 African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Hawaiians or 

2 other Pacific Islanders. 

Æ 


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