California Assembly Bill ACR29 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: ACR 29AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN SENATE MAY 7, 2009 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Jones FEBRUARY 19, 2009 Relative to health disparities. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST ACR 29, as amended, Jones. Health disparities: racial and ethnic populations. This measure would request that the California Health and Human Services Agency provide leadership to ensure that, within existing resources and programs, departments within the agency implement programs, activities, and strategies that place a priority focus on preventing, reducing, and eliminating health disparities among racial and ethnic population subgroups. Fiscal committee: yes. WHEREAS, The National Institutes of Health defines health disparities as the "differences in the incidence, prevalence, mortality, and burden of diseases and other adverse health conditions that exist among specific population groups in the United States"; and WHEREAS, A number of studies show that members of communities of color are much more likely to experience poor quality of health and health care than their white counterparts across a broad spectrum of illnesses, injuries, and treatment outcomes; and WHEREAS, African Americans, Alaskan natives, American Indians, Asian Americans, Latinos, and Pacific Islanders are more likely than whites to have poor health, to be uninsured, and to die prematurely; and WHEREAS, Reported risk factors for most chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, in California are alarming: 32.7 percent of adults report high cholesterol, 23.4 percent report high blood pressure, 7.2 percent have diabetes,  16.8   13.3  percent are current smokers, 36.2 percent report being overweight, and 22.3 percent report not exercising in the previous 30 days; and WHEREAS, Cardiovascular disease, since 1900, has been the number one killer in the United States, and one in three persons has some form of cardiovascular disease; and WHEREAS, More than 1.7 million Californians are affected by heart disease; and WHEREAS, Heart disease is the leading cause of death in California, accounting for more than 73,000 deaths, or almost one-third of all deaths in the state; and WHEREAS, Nearly 128 women die every day in California from cardiovascular disease; and WHEREAS, In California, African Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, Latinos, and Native Americans die disproportionately from heart disease; and WHEREAS, Poor health outcomes carry both significant individual and societal costs; and WHEREAS, The estimated direct and indirect costs of cardiovascular disease in the United States were  $448.5 billion   $475 billion  in the year 2008; and WHEREAS, Research has found lower awareness of hypertension, medication taking, and blood pressure control among Hispanics; and WHEREAS, People of color have higher rates of diabetes than whites; 10 percent of African American adults, 11 percent of Latino adults, 13.3 percent of Native American and Alaskan Native adults, and 6.6 percent of Asian adults in California have been diagnosed with diabetes; and WHEREAS, Heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic diseases can be prevented not only by addressing behavioral factors such as lifestyle and habits but by changing the social and physical environments that contribute to those unhealthy behaviors; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature requests that the California Health and Human Services Agency provide leadership to ensure that, within existing resources and programs, departments within the agency implement programs, activities, and strategies that place a priority focus on preventing, reducing, and eliminating health disparities among racial and ethnic population subgroups; and be it further Resolved, That the Legislature encourages interdepartmental collaboration with an emphasis on the complex social, environmental, and behavioral factors that contribute to health disparities, particularly when identifying strategies aimed at the prevention of chronic diseases, including, but not limited to, cardiovascular disease; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.