IV 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 270 
Supporting the goals and ideals of National Public Health Week. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 6, 2017 
Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD (for herself, Mr. WITTMAN, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, 
Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. GRANGER, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN 
GRISHAM of New Mexico, Mr. HASTINGS, Mrs. DINGELL, Ms. KELLY of 
Illinois, Ms. MATSUI, Ms. ADAMS, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Ms. NORTON, Mr. 
GRIJALVA, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. RASKIN, Ms. MOORE, Mr. RUTHER-
FORD, and Ms. BARRAGA´N) 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 3, 2017, through April 9, 2017, 
is National Public Health Week; 
Whereas the theme for National Public Health Week in 2017 
is ‘‘Healthiest Nation 2030’’, with the goal of making the 
United States the healthiest nation in one generation; 
Whereas according to the National Academy of Medicine, de-
spite being one of the wealthiest nations in the world, the 
United States ranks below many other economically pros-
perous and developing countries with respect to measures 
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of health, including life expectancy and the rate of infant 
mortality; 
Whereas the life expectancy for the United States population 
declined for the first time in more than two decades, and 
the leading causes of deaths are among the most com-
mon, costly, and preventable of all health problems; 
Whereas there is a significant difference in the health status, 
such as that relating to obesity, poor mental health, and 
infectious disease, of people living in the healthiest States 
compared to people living in the least healthy States; 
Whereas despite having a high infant mortality rate com-
pared to other economically prosperous and developing 
countries, and the death rate varying greatly among 
States, overall, the United States was making steady 
progress, until recently, with the infant mortality rate 
reaching a historic low of 5.8 infant deaths per 1,000 live 
births in 2014; 
Whereas opioid-involved deaths have more than quadrupled 
since 1999, requiring a comprehensive strategy across a 
range of sectors, including robust efforts to prevent sub-
stance misuse disorders; 
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 each year, decreased from 20.9 per-
cent in 2005 to 15.1 percent in 2015; 
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, and play; 
Whereas public health organizations use National Public 
Health Week to educate the public, policymakers, and 
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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 pre-
vention can result in significant savings in health care 
costs; 
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 car-
diovascular 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 pre-
vent, prepare for, withstand, and recover from the impact 
of a full range of health threats, including disease out-
breaks, such as the Zika virus, natural disasters, and dis-
asters caused by human activity; 
Whereas public health professionals collaborate with partners 
outside the health sector, such as city planners, transpor-
tation officials, education officials, and private sector 
businesses, recognizing that other sectors have an impor-
tant 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, becoming more physically 
active, and preventing unintentional injuries at home and 
in the workplace; and 
Whereas efforts to adequately support public health and pre-
vention can continue to transform a health system fo-
cused on treating illness to a health system focused on 
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preventing disease and promoting wellness: Now, there-
fore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) supports the goals and ideals of National 
Public Health Week; 
(2) recognizes the efforts of public health pro-
fessionals, the Federal Government, States, tribes, 
municipalities, local communities, and individuals in 
preventing disease and injury; 
(3) recognizes the role of public health in im-
proving the health of individuals in the United 
States; 
(4) encourages increased efforts and resources 
to improve the health of individuals in the United 
States to create the healthiest nation in one genera-
tion through— 
(A) greater opportunities to improve com-
munity health and prevent disease and injury; 
and 
(B) strengthening the public health system 
in the United States; and 
(5) encourages the people of the United States 
to learn about the role of the public health system 
in improving health in the United States. 
Æ 
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