(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-08) today joined Reps. Lou Correa (CA-46) and Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30) in introducing a Resolution promoting minority health awareness to bring attention to the discrepancies in health care faced by minority populations in the United States. With coronavirus disproportionately impacting African American and Latino communities, it is more important than ever to highlight the dangers of inadequate healthcare access. Minority groups have historically suffered from high rates of chronic disease and inadequate access to health care. Without programs that specifically address health disparities and increase the numbers of health professionals in underserved areas, these inequities will not change.
Rep. Lou Correa said, “It has never been more clear than it is now how dangerous healthcare inequality is. With coronavirus raging across the United States, there has never been a more important time to talk about health disparity. Lack of access to basic care is putting lives at risk. Everyone needs access to vital care regardless of their race or socioeconomic status. We must never forget that lives are at stake.”
“During this coronavirus pandemic, our minority communities are confronted with alarming statistics – higher rates of comorbidities, more barriers in accessing health care, and higher reported rates of death. These vulnerabilities warrant our society’s undivided attention,” said Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson. “I am proud to lead this resolution with my colleague Congressman Correa calling for immediate action on the harmful health disparities faced by communities of color during this pandemic.”
Read the resolution here.
Joining as cosponsors are Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rep. Cedric L. Richmond, Rep. John Lewis, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, II, Rep. Steve Cohen, Rep. Adriano Espaillat, Rep. Brian Higgins, Rep. John B. Larson, Rep. David Scott, Rep. Gwen Moore, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Rep. Jesús G. "Chuy" García, Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Rep. Karen Bass, Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, Rep. Joyce Beatty, Rep. Mark Pocan, Rep. Raúl Grijalva, Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay, Rep. Frederica S. Wilson, Rep. Yvette D. Clarke, Rep. Alcee L. Hastings, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Rep. Jahana Hayes, Rep. Alan Lowenthal, Rep. Sylvia R. Garcia, Rep. Danny K. Davis, Rep. Joseph D. Morelle, Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr., Rep. Alma S. Adams, Ph.D., Rep. Brenda L. Lawrence, Rep. James P. McGovern, Rep. Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr., Rep. Madeleine Dean, Rep. Grace F. Napolitano, Rep. Jim Cooper, Rep. Marcia L. Fudge, Rep. Terri A. Sewell, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Rep. Bobby L. Rush, Rep. A. Donald McEachin, Rep. Tony Cárdenas, Rep. Albio Sires, Rep. Barbara Lee, Rep. Juan Vargas, Rep. Dwight Evans, Rep. TJ Cox, Rep. André Carson, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, Rep. Diana DeGette, Rep. Kathy Castor, Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, Rep. Darren Soto, Rep. Anthony Brown, Rep. Elaine G. Luria, Rep. Mike Levin, Rep. Al Green, Rep. Seth Moulton, Rep. Katherine Clark, Rep. G. K. Butterfield, Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy, III, Rep. Al Lawson, Rep. Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr., Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Adam Smith, Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, Rep. Donald S. Beyer Jr., Rep. Steven Horsford, Rep. Mike Doyle, Rep. Judy Chu, Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, Rep. Joe Neguse, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, Rep. Julia Brownley, Rep. David Price, Rep. David Trone, Rep. Mark Takano, Rep. Robin L. Kelly, Rep. Brendan F. Boyle, Rep. Mikie Sherrill, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Rep. Abigail D. Spanberger, Rep. Earl Blumenauer, Rep. Henry Cuellar, Rep. Daniel T. Kildee
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