IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 279 

Supporting the goals and ideals of National Public Health Week. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 1, 2019 

Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD (for herself, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. WITTMAN, Mr. 

CA ́RDENAS, Mr. CISNEROS, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. COX of California, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mrs. DINGELL, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. 

GRIJALVA, Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. MOORE, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. SABLAN, and 

Mr. SCHIFF) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 

the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the goals and ideals of National Public Health 

Week. 

Whereas the week of April 1, 2019, through April 7, 2019, 

is National Public Health Week; 

Whereas the theme for National Public Health Week in 2019 

is ‘‘Creating the Healthiest Nation: For science. For action. For health.’’, with the goal of recognizing the contributions of public health in improving the country’s 

health and achieving health equity; 

Whereas according to the National Academy of Medicine, despite being one of the wealthiest nations in the world, the 

United States ranks well below many other economically 

prosperous and developing countries with respect to 


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•HRES 279 IH 

measures of health including life expectancy, infant mortality, and maternal mortality rates; 

Whereas the life expectancy for the United States population 

declined for the third year in a row, and the leading 

causes of deaths are among the most common, costly, 

and preventable of all health problems; 

Whereas there is a significant difference in the health status—such as obesity rates, prevalence of chronic disease, 

and infectious disease—of people living in the healthiest 

States compared to people living in the least healthy 

States; 

Whereas despite significant progress in reducing the United 

States infant mortality rate to a historic low of 5.8 infant 

deaths per 1,000 live births in 2017, the number of infant deaths in the United States greatly varies among 

States and far outpaces that of other economically prosperous and developing nations; 

Whereas more women die from pregnancy-related deaths in 

the United States than any other developed country, and 

an estimated 60 percent of such maternal deaths are preventable; 

Whereas drug overdoses more than tripled from 1999 to 

2016 and have become the leading cause of accidental 

death in the United States, with an average of 130 people dying every day; 

Whereas the percentage of adults smoking cigarettes in the 

United States, the leading cause of preventable disease 

and death in the United States and accounting for more 

than 480,000 deaths every year, including more than 

41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke, decreased from 20.9 percent in 2005 to 14 percent in 2017; 


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Whereas according to National Youth Tobacco Survey data, 

current electronic cigarette use in the United States increased by 78 percent among high school students and 

increased by 48 percent among middle school students 

from 2017 to 2018; 

Whereas the value of a strong public health system is in the 

air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and 

the places where we all live, learn, work, worship, and 

play; 

Whereas public health organizations use National Public 

Health Week to educate the public, policymakers, and 

public health professionals on issues that are important 

to improving the health of the people of the United 

States; 

Whereas studies show that small strategic investments in 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 declines in cases, hospitalizations, deaths, and 

health care costs associated with vaccine-preventable diseases; 

Whereas each 10-percent increase in local public health 

spending contributes to a 6.9-percent decrease in infant 

deaths, a 3.2-percent decrease in deaths related to cardiovascular disease, a 1.4-percent decrease in deaths due to 

diabetes, and a 1.1-percent decrease in cancer-related 

deaths; 

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

of a full range of health threats, including disease outVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:57 Apr 01, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR279.IH HR279

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breaks such as the Zika virus and measles, natural disasters, and disasters caused by human activity; 

Whereas public health professionals collaborate with partners 

that are not in the health sector, such as city planners, 

transportation officials, education officials, and private 

sector businesses, recognizing that other sectors have an 

important influence on health; 

Whereas in communities across the United States, people are 

changing the way they care for their health by avoiding 

tobacco use, eating healthier foods, becoming more physically active, and preventing unintentional injuries at 

home and in the workplace; and 

Whereas efforts to adequately support public health and disease and injury prevention 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 House of Representatives— 

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 im9 proving the health of individuals in the United 

10 States; 


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1 (4) encourages increased efforts and resources 

2 to improve the health of people in the United States 

3 to create the healthiest country in one generation 

4 through— 

5 (A) greater opportunities to improve com6 munity health and prevent disease and injury; 

7 and 

8 (B) strengthening the public health system 

9 in the United States; and 

10 (5) encourages the people of the United States 

11 to learn about the role of the public health system 

12 in improving health in the United States. 

Æ 


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