[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1359 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1359
Supporting the goals and ideals of National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing
and Awareness Day, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 21, 2008
Ms. Waters (for herself, Mrs. Christensen, Ms. Lee, Ms. Solis, Ms.
Bordallo, Mr. Waxman, Ms. Norton, Mr. Jefferson, Mr. Moore of Kansas,
Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mr. Towns, Mr. Doggett, Mrs. Jones of Ohio, Ms.
Baldwin, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Grijalva, Ms.
Linda T. Sanchez of California, Ms. Corrine Brown of Florida, Mr. Rush,
Ms. McCollum of Minnesota, Ms. Loretta Sanchez of California, Mr. Baca,
Mr. Meeks of New York, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Sires, and Mr. Carson)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Supporting the goals and ideals of National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing
and Awareness Day, and for other purposes.
Whereas HIV/AIDS is a devastating epidemic that continues to spread in
communities throughout the United States;
Whereas approximately 1,700,000 people in the United States have been infected
by HIV/AIDS since the first cases were reported 27 years ago;
Whereas there are approximately 1,200,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in the
United States today;
Whereas there are approximately 40,000 new HIV infections and more than 14,000
new AIDS-related deaths every year in the United States;
Whereas HIV/AIDS is spreading rapidly among women, young people, and racial
minorities, all of which are demographic groups that were not considered
to be at significant risk of HIV infection during the early years of the
epidemic;
Whereas women account for 27 percent of new AIDS cases in the United States, and
teen girls account for 43 percent of new AIDS cases among teenagers;
Whereas African-Americans account for about half of new AIDS cases, although
only 12 percent of the population as a whole is black;
Whereas Hispanic-Americans account for 19 percent of new AIDS cases, although
only 15 percent of the population as a whole is Hispanic;
Whereas Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders account for 1 percent of new AIDS
cases, and Native Americans and Alaskan Natives account for up to 1
percent of new AIDS cases;
Whereas African-American women account for 66 percent of new AIDS cases among
women;
Whereas 70 percent of new AIDS cases are people of color;
Whereas about 1 in 4 of the people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States do
not know they are infected;
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidelines for HIV
screening in healthcare settings recommend routine HIV testing for all
patients between the ages of 13 and 64, regardless of risk factors;
Whereas individuals are more likely to act responsibly and protect themselves
and other persons in the community when they know their HIV status;
Whereas encouraging people to be tested for HIV is a critical element in HIV/
AIDS prevention and treatment efforts;
Whereas individuals who are HIV-positive must learn of their status in order to
obtain counseling on managing their health, access appropriate medical
and social services, begin life-prolonging treatment, and take actions
to avoid spreading the virus to others;
Whereas physicians, physician's assistants, nurses, dentists, and other
clinicians play a vital role in providing access to HIV/AIDS awareness,
testing, treatment, and referral services, and in encouraging patients
to get tested for HIV;
Whereas the National Minority AIDS Education and Training Center (NMAETC), the
National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) and the Communities
Advocating Emergency AIDS Relief (CAEAR) Foundation declared Monday,
July 21, 2008, to be the first annual National Clinicians HIV/AIDS
Testing and Awareness Day;
Whereas NMAETC is a national collaborative network of clinicians and experts
that provides capacity-building assistance and related support to
improve the HIV-related primary care services available in minority
communities;
Whereas NMAETC is headquartered at Howard University's College of Medicine in
the District of Columbia and is comprised of 5 sites located at
minority-serving institutions across the United States, as well as a
premier data collection and management site housed at the University of
Maryland;
Whereas NAPWA is a national network of people living with HIV/AIDS that
advocates on behalf of all people living with HIV and AIDS in order to
end the epidemic and the human suffering caused by HIV/AIDS;
Whereas the CAEAR Foundation advances effective care and support for people
living with HIV/AIDS by providing training, technical assistance, and
research to organizations and communities;
Whereas the first annual National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and Awareness Day
will give all physicians, physician assistants, nurses, dentists, and
other clinicians an opportunity to get personally involved in the fight
against HIV/AIDS by taking an HIV test, personally demonstrating the
importance as well as the ease of HIV testing;
Whereas the National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and Awareness Day will be a
call to action to clinicians nationwide to lead the way in dispelling
the myths and stigma associated with HIV testing and become vocal
advocates for patients and communities; and
Whereas the National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and Awareness Day will
encourage clinicians to become actively involved in HIV/AIDS awareness,
testing, treatment, and referral services: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) supports the goals and ideals of the first annual
National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and Awareness Day;
(2) encourages primary care physicians and other clinicians
nationwide to become actively involved in HIV/AIDS awareness,
testing, treatment, and referral services;
(3) encourages the media to observe the first annual
National Clinicians HIV/AIDS Testing and Awareness Day by
educating clinicians about the important role they play in
providing access to HIV/AIDS awareness, testing, treatment, and
referral services and by educating clinicians and the public
about the benefits of HIV testing; and
(4) encourages individuals to get tested for HIV and
educate themselves about the prevention and treatment of HIV/
AIDS.
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