Title: Recognizing the essential contributions of frontline health workers to strengthening the United States national security and economic prosperity, sustaining and expanding progress on global health, and saving the lives of millions of women, men, and children around the world.
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Reaffirms the critical role of frontline health workers in achieving core global health goals.
Commends U.S. progress in helping to build local capacity and save lives in the world's most vulnerable communities by training and supporting such workers.
Urges greater global attention and support for such workers to ensure their protection and their ability to respond effectively during humanitarian and public health crises and to safeguard the health of the world's most vulnerable populations.
Calls on all relevant federal agencies to develop a health workforce strengthening action plan with concrete targets for increasing equitable access to qualified health workers in low- and middle-income countries to support the Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health: Workforce 2030 and recommendations of the High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 342 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 342

Recognizing the essential contributions of frontline health workers to 
    strengthening the United States national security and economic 
  prosperity, sustaining and expanding progress on global health, and 
  saving the lives of millions of women, men, and children around the 
                                 world.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 18, 2017

 Mrs. Lowey (for herself and Mr. Diaz-Balart) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Recognizing the essential contributions of frontline health workers to 
    strengthening the United States national security and economic 
  prosperity, sustaining and expanding progress on global health, and 
  saving the lives of millions of women, men, and children around the 
                                 world.

Whereas the number of people affected by humanitarian crises nearly doubled from 
        2004 to 2014 due to an increase in the number of natural disasters, 
        public health emergencies, and armed conflicts around the world;
Whereas frontline health workers are a critical and cost-effective component to 
        building country capacity to prevent and respond to humanitarian crises;
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 United Nations Secretary-General's High-Level Commission on Health 
        Employment and Economic Growth found that health employment is a force-
        multiplier for inclusive economic growth, and health investments provide 
        a nine-fold economic return;
Whereas frontline health workers are particularly crucial during natural or 
        complex emergency situations to saving lives and aiding communities to 
        recover, rebuild, and become more resilient;
Whereas health workers provide lifesaving care at great personal risk in 
        conflict settings; and hundreds of documented deliberate attacks on 
        medical facilities, health workers, and patients occurred in at least 23 
        countries undergoing conflict and civil unrest, including Syria, 
        Afghanistan, Yemen, and others in 2016, impeding access to health care 
        for millions while exacerbating the refugee crisis;
Whereas United States leadership and investment has led to dramatic successes in 
        global health and corresponding improvements in productivity and 
        economic growth, including the reduction of child mortality by 53 
        percent and of maternal mortality by 44 percent from 1990 to 2015, and 
        the reduction of new HIV infections by 35 percent and the decrease in 
        malaria mortality by 60 percent from 2000 to 2015;
Whereas access to a well-trained, well-equipped, and well-supported frontline 
        health workforce is critical to the efficacy and sustainability of 
        United States global health programs, including efforts to achieve the 
        global goals of ending preventable child and maternal deaths, fostering 
        an AIDS-free generation, and ensuring global health security;
Whereas frontline health workers are the first, and often only, link to health 
        care for millions of people living in low- and middle-income countries 
        and provide services where they are most needed, especially in remote 
        and rural areas;
Whereas frontline health workers include a range of occupations such as 
        community health workers, midwives, nurses, pharmacists, doctors, and 
        surgeons;
Whereas partnerships with faith-based organizations, humanitarian 
        nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector in training, 
        equipping, and deploying frontline health workers in decent work help 
        countries achieve progress toward their global health goals;
Whereas the World Health Organization reports that the world will face a 
        shortfall of 18 million health workers by 2030 without immediate and 
        concerted action, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, many 
        of which are in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, regions that have the 
        greatest share of the global disease burden and the highest number of 
        preventable deaths, and from which many emerging and re-emerging global 
        health threats originate;
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 over 400,000,000 
        people worldwide lack access to essential health services;
Whereas the Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth found that 
        employment of women within the health workforce is critical to saving 
        lives, spurring inclusive economic growth, and promoting women's 
        empowerment, as women comprise an estimated 70 percent of employment in 
        the health and social sectors, compared with 40 percent across all 
        sectors;
Whereas every day, more than 16,000 children die worldwide, mostly from 
        preventable causes, and 830 women die due to pregnancy and childbirth 
        complications;
Whereas every year, millions of adults succumb to the ravages of AIDS, 
        tuberculosis, malaria, and other treatable and often preventable chronic 
        conditions; and
Whereas the United States does not currently have a comprehensive global health 
        workforce strategy despite the importance of frontline health workers to 
        the successful implementation of United States global health programs 
        and to improved health and socioeconomic outcomes for those served by 
        these programs: 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, including 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 natural 
        disasters, disease outbreaks, and conflict, frontline health 
        workers continue to perform critical services under difficult 
        working conditions, often at great personal risk, to save the 
        lives of those 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 protection and ability 
        to respond effectively during humanitarian and public health 
        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, including the 
        United States Agency for International Development, the 
        Department of State, and the Department of Health and Human 
        Services, including the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention, to develop a coordinated, comprehensive, inter-
        sectoral, and data-driven health workforce strengthening action 
        plan with concrete targets for increasing equitable access to 
        qualified health workers in low- and middle-income countries, 
        particularly in underserved areas, to support the Global 
        Strategy on Human Resources for Health: Workforce 2030 and 
        recommendations of the High-Level Commission on Health 
        Employment and Economic Growth, including clear accountability 
        mechanisms for monitoring progress, including progress on the 
        protection of health in conflict in accordance with United 
        Nations Security Council Resolution 2286.
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