III
107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. CON. RES. 388
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
MAY 1, 2002
Received and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Congress that there should be
established a National Minority Health and Health Dis-
parities Month, and for other purposes.
Whereas in 2000, the Surgeon General of the Public Health
Service announced as a goal the elimination by 2010 of
health disparities experienced by racial and ethnic minori-
ties in health access and outcome in 6 areas: infant mor-
tality, cancer screening, cardiovascular disease, diabetes,
acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and human im-
munodeficiency virus infection, and immunizations;
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Whereas despite notable progress in the overall health of the
Nation there are continuing health disparities in the bur-
den of illness and death experienced by African-Ameri-
cans, Hispanics, Native Americans, Alaska Natives,
Asians, and Pacific Islanders, compared to the United
States population as a whole;
Whereas minorities are more likely to die from cancer, cardio-
vascular disease, stroke, chemical dependency, diabetes,
infant mortality, violence, and, in recent years, acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome;
Whereas there is a national need for scientists in the fields
of biomedical, clinical, behavioral, and health services re-
search to focus on how best to eliminate health dispari-
ties;
Whereas individuals such as underrepresented minorities and
women in the workforce enable society to address its di-
verse needs; and
Whereas behavioral and social sciences research has increased
awareness and understanding of factors associated with
health care utilization and access, patient attitudes to-
ward health services, and risk and protective behaviors
that affect health and illness, and these factors have the
potential to be modified to help close the health dispari-
ties gap among ethnic minority populations: Now, there-
fore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that—
(1) a National Minority Health and Health Dis-
parities Month should be established to promote
educational efforts on the health problems currently
HCON 388 RFS
facing minorities and other health disparity popu-
lations;
(2) the Secretary of Health and Human serv-
ices should, as authorized by the Minority Health
and Health Disparities Research and Education Act
of 2000, present public service announcements on
health promotion and disease prevention among mi-
norities and other health disparity populations in the
United States and educate the public and health
care professionals about health disparities;
(3) the President should issue a proclamation
recognizing the immediate need to reduce health dis-
parities in the United States and encouraging all
health organizations and Americans to conduct ap-
propriate programs and activities to promote health-
fulness in minority and other health disparity com-
munities;
(4) Federal, State, and local governments
should work in concert with the private and non-
profit sector to emphasize the recruitment and re-
tention of qualified individuals from racial, ethnic,
and gender groups that are currently underrep-
resented in health care professions;
(5) the Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality should continue to collect and report data on
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health care access and utilization on patients by
race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and where pos-
sible, primary language, as authorized by the Minor-
ity Health and Health Disparities Research and
Education Act of 2000, to monitor the Nation’s
progress toward the elimination of health care dis-
parities; and
(6) the information gained from research about
factors associated with health care utilization and
access, patient attitudes toward health services, and
risk and protective behaviors that affect health and
illness, should be disseminated to all health care pro-
fessionals so that they may better communicate with
all patients, regardless of race or ethnicity, without
bias or prejudice.
Passed the House of Representatives April 30, 2002.
Attest:
JEFF TRANDAHL,
Clerk.