Letter to legislator



HR 8079 2023

hr8079-00

Page 1 of 2

F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

House Resolution 1

A resolution recognizing April 2023 as "Minority 2

Health Month" in Florida. 3

4

WHEREAS, National Minority Health Month is a month-long 5

national initiative to advance health equity across the country 6

on behalf of all racial and ethnic minorities, and 7

WHEREAS, National Minority Health Month began with Booker 8

T. Washington advocating for a National Negro Health Week in 9

1915, and 10

WHEREAS, in 2002, the United States Congress said that a 11

National Minority Health and Health Disparities Month, "should 12

be established to promote educational efforts on the health 13

problems facing minorities and other health disparity 14

populations," and 15

WHEREAS, as an example of such health problems and 16

disparities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and 17

Prevention Office of Health Equity, Black women are three times 18

more likely than white women to die from pregnancy-related 19

causes, and 20

WHEREAS, according to a study published in 2019 by a 21

researcher at George Washington University School of Medicine 22

and Health Sciences, Black and Hispanic emergency room patients 23

were 40 percent and 25 percent less likely to receive pain 24

medication than white patients, respectively, and 25



HR 8079 2023

hr8079-00

Page 2 of 2

F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

WHEREAS, the theme of the 2023 National Minority Health 26

Month is "Better Health Through Better Understanding," which 27

focuses on improving health outcomes for racial and ethnic 28

minority and American Indian and Alaska Native communities by 29

providing them with culturally and linguistically competent 30

healthcare services, information, and resources, NOW, THEREFORE, 31

32

Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of 33

Florida: 34

35

That April 2023 is recognized as "Minority Health Month" in 36

Florida. 37