,,iv #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #ajfi ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,july #bi1 #bjbj,mrs4 ,hayes 7for herself and ,mr4 ,crdenas7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce1 and in addition to the ,committee on the ,judiciary1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,,resolution ,declaring racism a public health crisis4 ,whereas since the ,nation's founding1 the ,united ,states has had a longstanding history and legacy of racism1 mistreatment1 and discrimination against ,african ,americans1 ,latinos1 ,native ,americans1 and other people of color2 ,whereas the ,united ,states ratified over #cej treaties with sovereign indigenous communities1 has broken the promises made in such treaties1 and has historically failed to carry out its trust responsibilities to ,native ,americans1 including ,american ,indians1 ,alaska ,natives1 and ,native ,hawaiians1 as made evident by the chronic and pervasive underfunding of the ,indian ,health ,service and ,tribal1 ,urban ,indian1 and ,native ,hawaiian health care1 the vast health and socioeconomic disparities faced by ,native ,american people1 and the inaccessibility of many ,federal public health and social programs in ,native ,american communities2 ,whereas people of ,mexican and ,puerto ,rican descent1 who became ,americans through conquest1 were subject to1 but never full members of the polity of the ,united ,states and experienced widespread discrimination in employment1 housing1 education1 and health care2 ,whereas the immoral paradox of slavery and freedom is an indelible wrong traced throughout the ,nation's history1 as ,african ,americans lived under the oppressive institution of slavery from #afai through #ahfe1 endured the practices and laws of segregation during the ,jim ,crow ,era1 and continue to face the ramifications of systemic racism through unjust and discriminatory structures and policies2 ,whereas before the enactment of the ,medicare program1 the ,united ,states health care system was highly segregated1 and1 as late as the mid-#aifjs1 hospitals1 clinics1 and doctors' offices throughout ,northern and ,southern ,states complied with ,jim ,crow laws and were completely segregated by race--leaving ,black communities with little to no access to health care services2 ,whereas between #aief and #aifg1 the ,national ,association for the ,advancement of ,colored ,people 7,,naacp7 ,legal ,defense and ,education ,fund litigated a series of court cases to eliminate discrimination in hospitals and professional associations2 ,whereas the landmark case ,simkins v4 ,moses ,h4 ,cone ,memorial ,hospital1 #cbc ,f4#b;d #iei 7#aifc71 challenged the ,federal ,government's use of public funds to expand1 support1 and sustain segregated hospital care1 and provided justification for title ,,vi of the #aifd ,civil ,rights ,act and the ,medicare hospital certification program--establishing ,medicare hospital racial integration guidelines that applied to every hospital that participated in the ,federal program2 ,whereas in #aifg1 ,president ,lyndon ,b4 ,johnson established the ,national ,advisory ,commission on ,civil ,disorders1 which concluded that ,white racism is responsible for the pervasive discrimination and segregation in employment1 education1 and housing1 resulting in deepened racial division and continued exclusion of ,black communities from the benefits of economic progress2 ,whereas language minorities1 including ,latinos1 ,asian ,americans1 and ,pacific ,islanders1 were not assured non-discriminatory access to federally funded services1 including health services1 until the signing of ,executive ,order #acaff in #bjjj2 ,whereas the ,patient ,protection and ,affordable ,care ,act 7,public ,law #aaa-adh7 included provisions to expand the ,medicaid program and--for the first time in the ,united ,states--established a ,federal prohibition against discrimination on the basis of race1 color1 national origin1 sex1 age1 or disability in certain health programs1 building on other ,federal civil rights laws2 ,whereas the ,patient ,protection and ,affordable ,care ,act required reporting to ,congress on health disparities based on race1 color1 national origin1 sex1 age1 or disability2 ,whereas several ,federal programs have been established to address some1 but not all1 of the health outcomes that are disproportionately experienced by communities of color1 including sickle cell disease1 tuberculosis1 infant mortality1 and ,,hiv_/,,aids2 ,whereas the ,national ,center for ,chronic ,disease ,prevention and ,health ,promotion works to raise awareness of health disparities faced by minority populations in the ,united ,states1 such as ,native ,americans1 ,asian ,americans1 ,black ,americans1 and ,latino ,americans1 aiming to reduce risk factors for groups affected by such health disparities2 ,whereas the ,united ,states health care system and other economic and social structures remain fraught with racism and racial1 ethnic1 sex 7including sexual orientation and gender identity71 and class biases that lead to health inequity and health disparities2 ,whereas life expectancy rates for ,black and ,native ,american people in the ,united ,states are significantly lower than those of ,white people in the ,united ,states2 ,whereas disparities in health outcomes are exacerbated for ,,lgbtqia people of color2 ,whereas disparities in health outcomes are worsened for people of color with disabilities due to bias and inequitable access to health care2 ,whereas several ,states with higher percentages of ,black1 ,latino1 and ,native ,american populations have not expanded their ,medicaid programs pursuant to subclause 7,,viii7 of section #aijb7;a77#aj77;,a77i7 of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acif;a7a77#aj77;,a77i77--continuing to disenfranchise minority communities from access to health care2 ,whereas #af ,states have failed to take advantage of the ,federal option to expand access to the ,medicaid program under title ,,xix of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acif et seq47 and the ,children's ,health ,insurance ,program under title ,,xxi of the ,social ,security ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acig;aa et seq47 to lawfully residing immigrant children within the first #e years of lawful status1 and #bf ,states have failed to do so for similarly situated pregnant women2 ,whereas between #bjaf and #bjah1 the child uninsured rate increased from #d4g percent to #e4b percent and the ,latino child uninsured rate increased from #g4g percent to #h4a percent1 and children of color are far more likely to be uninsured than ,white children2 ,whereas a climate of fear and confusion for immigrant families due to the public charge rule discourages such families from enrolling eligible children in the ,medicaid program and the ,children's ,health ,insurance ,program2 ,whereas ,pacific ,islanders from the ,freely ,associated ,states experience unique health disparities resulting from ,united ,states nuclear weapons tests on their home islands1 but such people have been categorically denied access to ,medicaid and other ,federal health benefits2 ,whereas the ,united ,states has historically facilitated outsider status toward ,asian ,americans and ,pacific ,islanders1 such as the authorization of the internment of ,japanese ,americans during ,world ,war ,,ii1 which resulted in profound economic1 social1 and psychological burdens for the people impacted2 ,whereas the history and persistence of racist and non-scientific medical beliefs are associated with ongoing racial disparities in treatment and health outcomes2 ,whereas implicit racial and ethnic biases within the health care system have an impact on the quality of care experienced by communities of color1 such as the undertreatment of pain in ,black patients2 ,whereas the historical context of unethical practices and abuses experienced by ,black patients and research participants1 such as the ,tuskegee ,syphilis ,study1 serve as symbols of the ,black community's mistrust of the medical system2 ,whereas women of color continue to face attacks1 documented throughout history1 on their prenatal1 maternal1 and reproductive health and rights2 ,whereas enslaved ,black women were forced to endure egregiously unethical and cruel treatment1 as subjects of insidious medical experiments1 to advance modern gynecology2 ,whereas through the late #aifjs and early #aihjs1 physicians routinely sterilized people of color1 performing excessive and medically unnecessary procedures on patients of color without their informed consent2 ,whereas ,black and ,native ,american women are #b to #d times more likely than ,white women to suffer severe maternal morbidity or die of pregnancy-related complications1 and implicit racial biases and lower quality care are contributing factors to the health care disparities that lead to these outcomes2 ,whereas ,black and ,native ,american infants are twice as likely to die as ,white infants1 and the ,black infant mortality rate in the ,united ,states is higher than in #ig countries worldwide2 ,whereas researchers have developed the analytical framework of weathering to describe how the constant stress of racism leads to poor health outcomes for ,black ,americans2 ,whereas the daily experience of racism is associated with stress1 depression1 and anxiety1 and may cause physiological reactivity or contribute to chronic health conditions2 ,whereas racism is linked to mental health challenges for children and adolescents2 ,whereas children of color are overrepresented in the ,united ,states child welfare system1 and up to #hj percent of children in foster care enter ,state custody with significant mental health challenges2 ,whereas disparities in educational access and attainment1 along with racism experienced in the educational setting1 affect the trajectory of academic achievement for children and adolescents1 and ultimately impact health and racial inequities in school discipline1 which has long-term consequences for children2 ,whereas racism and segregation in the ,united ,states contribute to poor health outcomes by segregating ,black1 ,latino1 and ,native ,american communities from opportunity2 ,whereas for decades1 discriminatory housing practices1 such as redlining1 systemically excluded people of color from housing1 robbing them of capital in the form of low-cost1 stable mortgages and opportunities to build wealth1 and the ,federal ,government used its financial power to segregate renters in newly built public housing2 ,whereas environmental injustices1 such as proximity and exposure to toxic waste or hazardous air pollutants1 continue to harm the health of communities of color1 low-income communities1 and ,indigenous communities around the ,nation2 ,whereas social inequities such as differing access to quality health care1 healthy food and safe drinking water1 safe neighborhoods1 education1 job security1 and reliable transportation affect health risks and outcomes2 ,whereas during the ,,covid-#ai pandemic1 the effects of racism and discrimination are seen in ,,covid-#ai infection1 hospitalization1 and mortality rates--disproportionately high among ,black1 ,latino1 and ,native ,american populations compared to the overall population--exacerbating health disparities and highlighting barriers to care for ,black1 ,latino1 and ,native ,american patients across the ,united ,states2 ,whereas because of racial and ethnic disparities1 people of color are more likely to have pre-existing1 preventable1 and chronic conditions1 which lead to higher ,,covid-#ai morbidity and mortality rates2 ,whereas people of color are overrepresented in the number of people in the ,united ,states living under poor air quality conditions1 which can increase the likelihood of ,,covid- #ai morbidity and mortality2 ,whereas the ,,covid-#ai pandemic has worsened barriers for ,black1 ,latino1 and ,native ,american households that suffer from disproportionately higher rates of food insecurity2 ,whereas ,black and ,latino workers make up a disproportionate number of front line workers1 are less likely to receive paid sick leave or have the ability to work from home1 and have been excluded from many forms of relief readily available to other groups2 ,whereas people of color are disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice and immigration enforcement systems and face a higher risk of contracting ,,covid-#ai within prison populations and detention centers due to the over-incarceration of people of color2 ,whereas during the ,,covid-#ai pandemic1 an increased use of anti-,asian rhetoric has resulted in ,asian ,americans being harassed1 assaulted1 and scapegoated for the pandemic2 ,whereas communities of color continue to bear the burdens of inequitable social1 economic1 and criminal justice policies1 practices1 and investments that cause deep disparities1 hurt1 harm1 danger1 and mistrust2 ,whereas over #dj percent of ,latinos report being discriminated against or harassed because they are their race2 ,whereas approximately #bd percent of the ,latino population in the ,united ,states identifies as ,afro-,latino and is thus potentially subject to both race and national origin discrimination2 ,whereas because of racism1 ,black people in the ,united ,states share a unique set of challenges and experiences that require heightened levels of awareness and risk while performing everyday tasks--such as jogging in neighborhoods1 driving while ,black1 or playing in a park--that are not experienced by other populations2 ,whereas ,black people in the ,united ,states are #c times more likely to be killed by police than ,white people in the ,united ,states1 and police violence is the #fth leading cause of death for young ,black men2 ,whereas the police brutality and violence experienced by ,black people in the ,united ,states adversely impacts mental health among ,black communities2 ,whereas ,black communities led the ,nation in mourning the killings of ,ahmaud ,arbery1 ,breonna ,taylor1 ,george ,floyd1 ,elijah ,mc,clain1 and countless other ,black ,americans--calling for justice and long-term changes to dismantle systems of oppression2 ,whereas throughout our ,nation's history1 people of color have been at the forefront of civil rights movements for essential freedoms1 human rights1 and equal protection for marginalized groups and continue to fight for racial and economic justice today2 ,whereas a public health issue is defined as meeting the following #d criteria-- 7#a7 the condition affects many people1 is seen as a threat to the public1 and is continuing to increase2 7#b7 the condition is distributed unfairly2 7#c7 preventive measures could reduce the effects of the condition2 and 7#d7 those preventive measures are not yet in place2 ,whereas racism meets the criteria of a public health crisis1 and public health experts agree2 ,whereas a ,federal public health crisis declaration would define racism as a pervasive health issue and alerts the ,nation to the need to enact immediate and effective cross-governmental efforts to address the root causes of institutional racism and their downstream impacts2 and ,whereas such declaration requires the response of the ,government to engage significant resources to empower those communities that are impacted3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 supports the resolutions drafted1 introduced1 and adopted by cities and localities across the ,nation declaring racism a public health crisis2 7#b7 declares racism a public health crisis in the ,united ,states2 7#c7 commits to-- 7,a7 establishing a nationwide strategy to address health disparities and inequity across all sectors in the ,united ,states2 7,b7 dismantling systemic practices and policies that perpetuate racism in the ,united ,states2 7,c7 advancing reforms to address years of neglectful and apathetic policies that have led to poor health outcomes for communities of color in the ,united ,states2 and 7,d7 promoting efforts to address the social determinants of health--especially for ,black1 ,latino1 and ,native ,american people1 and other people of color in the ,united ,states2 and 7#d7 charges the ,nation with moving forward with urgency to ensure that the ,united ,states stands firmly in honoring its moral purpose of advancing the self-evident truths that all people are created equal1 that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights1 and that among these are life1 liberty1 and the pursuit of happiness4