Raising awareness of the racial disparities in the impact of colorectal cancer on the Black community.

Bill: 118-hres-224
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12]
Introduced: 2023-03-10
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Cancer

Health promotion and preventive care

Medical research

Medical tests and diagnostic methods

Minority health

Racial and ethnic relations

State and local government operations
Latest action: action_date: 2023-03-17
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-03-10
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>This resolution recognizes the deadly impact colorectal cancer; acknowledges racial disparities in the impact of colorectal cancer, particularly in the Black community; and encourages actions to address colorectal cancer and those disparities.</p>

tv_txt: IV 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 224 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 10, 2023 Mrs. Watson Coleman (for herself, Mr. Payne , Ms. Pressley , Mrs. Beatty , Mr. Meeks , Mr. Cohen , Ms. Clarke of New York , and Mr. Thompson of Mississippi ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce RESOLUTION Raising awareness of the racial disparities in the impact of colorectal cancer on the Black community.

Whereas colorectal cancer, or CRC, is the third-most common cancer in the United States for men and women combined, and the second leading cause of cancer death; Whereas this disease takes the lives of more than 50,000 people each year; Whereas the rate of CRC is 21 percent higher among Black men and is 18.5 percent higher among Black women than compared to non-Hispanic Whites; Whereas the rate of CRC death is 31.5 percent higher among Black men and is 24.4 percent higher among Black women than compared to non-Hispanic Whites; Whereas CRC is the third-leading cause of cancer death in both Black men and women in the United States; Whereas Black Americans have the lowest 5-year survival rate for CRC of any racial group in the United States; Whereas deaths from colorectal cancer among people younger than 55 have increased one percent per year from 2008 to 2017; Whereas the tragic death of 43-year-old actor Chadwick Boseman from colorectal cancer has catalyzed more conversation about CRC’s impact on the Black community; Whereas, by 2030, it is expected that CRC will be the leading cause of death among people ages 20 to 49; and Whereas CRC has a 90-percent survival rate when caught at the earliest stage and there are many screening methods available: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1) recognizes the deadly impact colorectal cancer has to the American people; (2) acknowledges the racial disparity that the Black community faces when dealing with colorectal cancer; (3) encourages the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to continue and expand their work to identify those factors that result in the colorectal racial screening disparity and develop effective strategies to reduce and ultimately eliminate racial disparities in colorectal screening; (4) encourages everyone get colorectal cancer screening when recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force; (5) encourages the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct research to determine any environmental factors, and the National Institutes of Health to conduct research into any physiological factors that cause an elevated risk for colorectal cancer in young adults; and (6) urges State health plans to quickly adopt new measures to cover colorectal screenings for individuals at a lower age, with special consideration for the Black community and all those at higher risk for colorectal cancer.