IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 873 

Recognizing the impact and importance of improving prevention, detection, 

and treatment modalities for African-American women with cardiovascular disease and diabetes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 27, 2020 

Mrs. BEATTY submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Energy and Commerce 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the impact and importance of improving prevention, detection, and treatment modalities for AfricanAmerican women with cardiovascular disease and diabetes. 

Whereas cardiovascular disease (CVD)—including coronary 

heart disease, heart failure, stroke, and high blood pressure—is the leading cause of death for men and women 

in the United States; 

Whereas African Americans have a three-fold greater risk of 

developing CVD than all other Americans; 

Whereas according to the American Heart Association, 

among African-American women ages 20 and older, nearly half (48.3 percent) already have CVD; 


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Whereas higher rates of heart attack, sudden cardiac arrest, 

heart failure, and stroke disproportionately affect African-American women; 

Whereas CVD kills nearly 50,000 African-American women 

annually, but only one in five African-American women 

believes she is personally at risk; 

Whereas major risk factors for heart disease, including diabetes, smoking, elevated blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, physical inactivity, obesity, and a family history of 

heart disease, all disproportionately impact Black women; 

Whereas research shows that prolonged exposure to stress, as 

from coping with racism, may produce higher levels of 

the stress hormone cortisol in Black women which can 

lead to higher rates of obesity, thereby increasing the risk 

of heart disease and other chronic illness; 

Whereas cardiovascular disease poses a significant financial 

burden in the form of direct health care costs and lost 

productivity, costing the United States approximately 

$200 billion a year; 

Whereas cardiovascular events such as stroke can cause permanent and debilitating damage with only 10 percent of 

stroke survivors making a full recovery; 

Whereas 39.5 million women have prediabetes; 

Whereas diabetes has been linked to cardiovascular illnesses, 

and adult diabetics are more likely to be at risk for heart 

attacks, strokes, and high blood pressure; 

Whereas diabetes has been linked to cardiovascular illnesses; 

Whereas many African-American women with diabetes are 

unaware that having diabetes increases their risk for 

CVD; 


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Whereas women with diabetes are 40 percent more likely to 

develop heart disease; 

Whereas at least 68 percent of people with diabetes age 65 

and older die of some form of heart disease and 16 percent die from stroke; 

Whereas gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a disease 

characterized by high blood sugar (glucose) levels during 

pregnancy, and it raises a mother’s risk of getting type 

2 diabetes and heart disease later in life; 

Whereas African-American women who develop GDM during 

pregnancy face a 52 percent increased risk of developing 

diabetes in the future compared to White women who develop GDM; and 

Whereas cardiovascular complications are the leading cause 

of pregnancy-related death in Black women: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes the importance of decreasing car3 diovascular disease among all populations, especially 

4 among African-American women; 

5 (2) recognizes the unique factors that impact 

6 African Americans, including racism and stress, 

7 which lead to disproportionately rates of heart dis8 ease, stroke, diabetes, and maternal mortality; 

9 (3) promotes the necessity of spreading aware10 ness and improving education about cardiovascular 

11 risk factors and preventive health and lifestyle 


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1 choices that contribute to reduced cardiovascular 

2 risk; 

3 (4) recognizes prevention of cardiovascular dis4 ease and related risk factors as the foundation for 

5 effective, lifelong management of cardiovascular 

6 health; 

7 (5) supports the education of patients, health 

8 care providers, and policymakers about cardio9 vascular health; 

10 (6) recognizes the value of investment in cardio11 vascular disease therapy research and development; 

12 (7) encourages early and continuous patient ac13 cess to innovative, lifesaving cardiovascular disease 

14 therapies; 

15 (8) supports the importance of health manage16 ment strategies that improve access to cardio17 vascular testing and preventive services in all com18 munities; 

19 (9) recognizes the importance of decreasing the 

20 prevalence of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes for 

21 all in the United States; 

22 (10) recognizes the release of the report entitled 

23 Black Women Vote: National Health Policy Agenda 

24 2018–2019, which is a foundational policy blueprint 

25 that offers evidence to both policymakers and practiVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:10 Feb 28, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR873.IH HR873

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1 tioners as to why the health and wellness of more 

2 than 20 million Black women matter in the United 

3 States; and 

4 (11) recognizes that WomenHeart: the National 

5 Coalition for Women with Heart Disease is a pa6 tient-centered organization that supports, educates, 

7 and advocates for all women living with and at high 

8 risk of heart disease in order to improve their health 

9 and quality of life and to address inequities in health 

10 care for women. 

Æ 


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