PRINTER'S NO. 1481

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

SENATE RESOLUTION

No.

262

Session of

2024

INTRODUCED BY CAPPELLETTI, DILLON, SAVAL, TARTAGLIONE, HUGHES,

FONTANA, KEARNEY, SCHWANK, MUTH, KANE, HAYWOOD, COMITTA AND

STREET, APRIL 5, 2024

WHEREAS, The theme for "National Public Health Week" in 2024

is "Protecting, Connecting and Thriving: We Are All Public

Health"; and

WHEREAS, The goal of "National Public Health Week" in 2024 is

to recognize the contributions of public health in improving the

health of people and achieving health equity; and

WHEREAS, From 2019 to 2021, the life expectancy at birth for

the population of the United States declined by 2.7 years, which

is the biggest two-year decline in life expectancy since 1921-

1923; and

Commonwealth and those living in the unhealthiest parts,

including differences in obesity rates, the prevalence of

chronic disease and the prevalence of infectious disease; and

WHEREAS, Racial and ethnic minority populations in this

Commonwealth continue to experience disparities in the burden of

illness and death, as compared with the entire population of

this Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, Violence is a leading cause of premature death, and

it is estimated that more than seven individuals per hour die a

violent death in the United States; and

States experienced child abuse and neglect in the past year,

with 1,750 children dying of abuse and neglect in 2020; and

WHEREAS, Significant progress has been made in reducing the

infant mortality rate in the United States to a historic low of

5.4 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2021, but there are

still stark disparities in infant mortality by race, ethnicity,

geography and income, such as the fact that Black infants

experience infant mortality at a rate twice that of white

infants; and

WHEREAS, Women die from pregnancy-related complications in

States are preventable; and

WHEREAS, There were an estimated 107,622 drug overdose deaths

in 2021, an increase of nearly 15% from 2020; and

WHEREAS, In 2020, there were approximately 32,000 deaths in

the United States due to exposure to particulate matter, 37% of

which were directly related to fossil fuel burning; and

WHEREAS, Voting helps shape the conditions in which people

can be healthy, and good health is consistently positively

associated with higher likelihood of voter participation, but

only 53.4% of eligible adults reported voting in the November

disease prevention can result in significant savings in health

care costs; and

WHEREAS, Vaccination is one of the most significant public

health achievements in history and has resulted in substantial

decreases in the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths

associated with vaccine-preventable diseases, along with health

care costs associated with vaccine-preventable diseases; and

WHEREAS, Public health professionals help communities

prevent, prepare for, mitigate and recover from the impact of a

full range of health threats, including disease outbreaks,

transportation officials, education officials and private sector

businesses, recognizing that other sectors can influence health

outcomes; and

WHEREAS, In communities across this Commonwealth, individuals

are changing the way they care for their health by avoiding

tobacco use, eating healthier, increasing physical activity and

preventing unintentional injuries at home and in the workplace;

and

WHEREAS, Efforts to adequately support public health and the

prevention of disease and injury can continue to transform a