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 Cali-
fornia, 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 ac-
tion. For health.’’, with the goal of recognizing the con-
tributions of public health in improving the country’s 
health and achieving health equity; 
Whereas according to the National Academy of Medicine, de-
spite 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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measures of health including life expectancy, infant mor-
tality, 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 sta-
tus—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 in-
fant deaths in the United States greatly varies among 
States and far outpaces that of other economically pros-
perous 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 pre-
ventable; 
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 peo-
ple 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, de-
creased 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 in-
creased 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 pre-
vention 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 sub-
stantial declines in cases, hospitalizations, deaths, and 
health care costs associated with vaccine-preventable dis-
eases; 
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 cardio-
vascular 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-
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breaks such as the Zika virus and measles, natural disas-
ters, 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 phys-
ically active, and preventing unintentional injuries at 
home and in the workplace; and 
Whereas efforts to adequately support public health and dis-
ease 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 pro-
moting wellness: Now, therefore, 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; 
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(4) encourages increased efforts and resources 
to improve the health of people in the United States 
to create the healthiest country in one generation 
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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