IV 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 419 
Recognizing the importance of frontline health workers toward accelerating 
progress on global health and saving the lives of women and children, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 15, 2015 
Mrs. LOWEY (for herself and Mr. CRENSHAW) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing the importance of frontline health workers to-
ward accelerating progress on global health and saving 
the lives of women and children, and for other purposes. 
Whereas United States leadership and investment has led to 
dramatic successes in global health, including the reduc-
tion of child mortality by 49 percent in the last 2 dec-
ades, the reduction of new HIV infections by 50 percent 
in 25 low- and middle-income countries, a decrease in 
deaths from malaria by 47 percent, and the halving of 
maternal mortality rates; 
Whereas strong health systems in developing countries, in-
cluding a well-trained, well-equipped, and well-supported 
health workforce and access to health care are vital for 
these successes to continue and to ensure that the United 
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•HRES 419 IH 
States investment in global health programs is effective 
and sustainable; 
Whereas nations with healthy populations are more likely to 
be productive, prosperous, and peaceful, while countries 
with poorer health are more prone to instability, conflict, 
and extremism; 
Whereas the 2015 United States National Security Strategy 
cites increasing global health security as a national secu-
rity priority, and well-supported and well-trained front-
line health workers are critical to building country capac-
ity to prevent, detect, and respond to disease outbreaks; 
Whereas frontline health workers are the first and often the 
only link to health care for millions of people living in the 
developing world, providing services where they are most 
needed, especially in remote and rural areas; 
Whereas frontline health workers include individuals serving 
in a range of capacities such as community health work-
ers, midwives, local pharmacists, nurses, and doctors; 
Whereas the empowerment of women within the health work-
force is critical to saving lives; 
Whereas frontline health workers provide families with access 
to a range of simple, affordable, life-saving care to help 
prevent and treat infections, improve nutrition, increase 
coverage of vaccines, ensure healthy outcomes for moth-
ers and newborns, fight diseases like tuberculosis, ma-
laria, and HIV, and encourage proper water, sanitation, 
and hygiene practices; 
Whereas the presence of properly trained and well-supported 
frontline health workers is key to the success of United 
States global health programs, including its efforts to 
achieve the global goals of ending preventable child and 
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maternal deaths, fostering an AIDS-free generation, and 
ensuring global health security; 
Whereas it can cost as little as $300 to train a frontline 
health worker in crucial life-saving skills, making invest-
ments in frontline health workers one of the most cost ef-
fective ways to save lives; 
Whereas partnerships with faith-based organizations, human-
itarian non-governmental organizations, and the private 
sector in training, equipping, and deploying frontline 
health workers have helped countries achieve progress on 
their global health goals; 
Whereas according to the World Health Organization, there 
are 57 countries with critical health workforce shortages, 
most of which are in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, 
regions that also have the greatest share of the global 
disease burden and the highest number of preventable 
deaths; 
Whereas training frontline health workers helps to develop 
sustainable local capacity in a country because frontline 
health workers are drawn from the communities they 
serve and are less likely to migrate than higher-skilled 
categories of health workers; 
Whereas the work of frontline health workers is particularly 
crucial during natural or complex emergency situations to 
save lives and to aid communities to recover, rebuild, and 
become self-reliant; 
Whereas the number of people affected by humanitarian cri-
ses has doubled from 2004 to 2014 due to an increase 
in the number of natural disasters, public health emer-
gencies, civil unrests, and armed conflicts around the 
world; and frontline health workers are a critical and 
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cost-effective component to building country capacity to 
prevent and respond to humanitarian crises; 
Whereas frontline health workers’ efforts have been instru-
mental in saving lives during natural disasters and dis-
ease, such as after the devastating April 2015 earthquake 
in Nepal, by leading the charge to vaccinate over 500,000 
children to prevent a deadly outbreak of measles, and 
caring for people confirmed or suspected to have been in-
fected with the Ebola virus during the outbreak; 
Whereas health workers provide lifesaving care at great per-
sonal risk in conflict settings; and attacks on medical fa-
cilities, health workers, and patients have occurred in at 
least 17 countries undergoing conflict and civil unrest, in-
cluding Syria, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of 
Congo, and others since January 2014; 
Whereas despite the key role of frontline health workers in 
improving health, advancing peace and security, and 
spurring economic growth, the World Bank and the 
World Health Organization estimate that 400,000,000 
people worldwide do not have access to essential health 
services; 
Whereas the International Labor Organization estimated the 
global shortage of health workers in 2015 is 10,300,000, 
including a 7,000,000 health worker deficit in rural areas 
alone; 
Whereas every day, more than 20,000 children in the devel-
oping world perish, mostly from preventable causes, and 
800 women die due to pregnancy complications, and 
every year, millions of adults succumb to the ravages of 
AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and other treatable and 
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often preventable chronic conditions (including non-com-
municable diseases); and 
Whereas despite the importance of frontline health workers to 
successful implementation of United States global health 
programs and to improved health outcomes for those 
served by these programs, the United States does not 
have a comprehensive global health workforce strategy: 
Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) reaffirms the critical role of frontline health 
workers in achieving core global health goals, includ-
ing ending preventable child and maternal deaths, 
ensuring global health security, and achieving an 
AIDS-free generation; 
(2) commends the progress made by the United 
States in helping to build local capacity and to save 
lives in the world’s most vulnerable communities by 
training and supporting frontline health workers; 
(3) acknowledges that in the aftermath of nat-
ural disasters, disease outbreaks, and conflict, front-
line health workers continue to perform critical serv-
ices to save the lives of mothers and children without 
access to medicines, equipment, or running water in 
many cases; 
(4) urges greater global attention and support 
for local frontline health workers to ensure their 
ability to respond effectively during humanitarian 
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crises and to safeguard the health of the world’s 
most vulnerable populations, including populations 
in conflict-affected states; and 
(5) calls on all relevant Federal agencies, in-
cluding the United States Agency for International 
Development, the Department of State, and the Cen-
ters for Disease Control and Prevention, to develop 
a coordinated, comprehensive health workforce 
strengthening action plan that is data-driven with 
concrete targets for increasing equitable access to 
qualified health workers in developing countries, par-
ticularly in underserved areas, to support the Global 
Human Resources for Health Strategy. 
Æ 
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