R 193 |
2019 -- H 5954 Enacted 04/03/2019 |
H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N |
PROCLAIMING THE WEEK OF APRIL 1-7, 2019, TO BE "NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK" IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND |
Introduced By: Representatives Cassar, Kislak, Phillips, Canario, and Cortvriend |
Date Introduced: April 03, 2019 |
WHEREAS, National Public Health Week is observed annually the first full week of |
April. It is organized by the American Public Health Association with week-long activities |
designed to educate and highlight issues that are critically important to the health of the American |
people and to accomplish the goal of improving the public's general health. Each day of the week |
a different theme is highlighted and discussed; and |
WHEREAS, On Monday the theme was Healthy Communities. Science has shown and |
proven that the health, longevity and well-being of people are connected to the places in which |
they live, work, learn, worship and play. For example, at least four million United States |
households are home to children who are being exposed to high levels of lead, with about six |
million homes considered to be substandard; and |
WHEREAS, Tuesday's theme is Violence Prevention. National data shows that gun- |
related deaths are rising. Between 2015 and 2016, the United States was home to nearly 27,400, |
homicides and nearly 45,000 suicides involving guns. These numbers are the highest levels |
documented in a decade. Additionally, one in four women experience some form of partner |
violence, and one of every six American women has been the victim of rape or attempted rape. |
Also, in 2016, 676,000 victims of child abuse and neglect were reported to local authorities and |
officials; and |
WHEREAS, Wednesday's theme is Rural Health. America's rural communities are |
suffering from a host of health disparities including suffering from higher rates of chronic |
diseases and from limited access to primary care and prevention services. People living in rural |
areas are at a greater risk of dying from the five leading causes of death, which include heart |
disease, cancer, unintentional injury, chronic lower respiratory disease and stroke. Suicide rates |
are also higher in rural America than in urban areas, and the gap has been steadily growing since |
2000; and |
WHEREAS, Thursday's focus is on Technology and Health. New technologies are |
rapidly transforming the public health landscape. Examples of this phenomenon include state |
environmental health tracking programs using spatial analysis and visualization methods to help |
predict people's hazardous exposure risks. Online learning communities are helping health |
practitioners and organizers to share best practices, and workers in our nation's health laboratories |
are using the latest technology to rapidly detect, trace, and contain disease outbreaks; and |
WHEREAS, Friday's theme is Climate Change and its negative impact on the nation's |
public health. Climate change is linked to more frequent and extreme natural disasters such as |
hurricanes, flooding and drought, and is expected to negatively impact food security, water and |
air quality, and to exacerbate the risks of vector-borne diseases such as the West Nile Virus and |
Lyme Disease. Climate change is also expected to disproportionately impact already vulnerable |
populations such as the elderly, children, those living in poverty, and those suffering from chronic |
diseases; and |
WHEREAS, The focus for the weekend, Saturday and Sunday, is Global Health. The |
health and well-being of Americans is fundamentally linked and connected to the global |
community. Pandemic viruses can quickly travel throughout the globe, and therefore will require |
global efforts and cooperation to track and contain such threats. Research also shows that |
American investment in global health is good for the United States economy. A recent 2015 study |
shows that 89 cents of every United States government dollar directed towards global health |
research and development was invested in America, putting billions of dollars into the United |
States economy; now, therefore be it |
RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and |
Providence Plantations hereby proclaims the Week of April 1-7, 2019, to be "National Public |
Health Week" in the State of Rhode Island; and be it further |
RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to |
transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Governor of Rhode Island, the Honorable |
Gina M. Raimondo, and to the Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health, Nicole |
Alexander-Scott, MD, MPH. |
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LC002350 |
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