HR 9139

1	House Resolution
2	A resolution recognizing the week of April 13-19, 2008, as
3	"Minority Cancer Awareness Week" in Florida.
4
5	WHEREAS, there has been recent progress in the fight
6	against cancer, yet many Floridians still suffer unequal rates
7	of cancer incidence and mortality, and medically underserved
8	populations have inadequate access to quality cancer prevention,
9	screening, treatment, and rehabilitation services, and
10	WHEREAS, certain populations of Floridians, such as African
11	Americans, Hispanics, Latinos, and the medically uninsured,
12	experience higher rates of cancer incidence and death, and
13	WHEREAS, even when poverty levels are accounted for,
14	African Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans, and
15	Pacific Islanders have lower 5-year-cancer-survival rates than
16	whites who are not of Hispanic descent, and
17	WHEREAS, among all racial and ethnic groups, African
18	Americans experience the highest death rate from all cancers and
19	the highest death rate from lung, colorectal, prostate, and
20	cervical cancers, and
21	WHEREAS, Hispanics and Latinos are the fastest growing
22	segment of the nation's population, and Hispanics are now the
23	largest minority population in Florida, and
24	WHEREAS, almost 35 percent of the Hispanic and Latino
25	population have no health care coverage and almost 31 percent
26	have no access to regular medical care, making Hispanics and
27	Latinos the most medically underserved population among all
28	racial and ethnic groups, and
29	WHEREAS, approximately 3.6 million or 20.2 percent of
30	Florida's 18.1 million citizens have no health insurance
31	coverage and frequently lack access to quality health care,
32	including potentially lifesaving services to screen for, detect,
33	and treat cancer, and
34	WHEREAS, minority cancer awareness initiatives, such as
35	those promoted by the American Cancer Society and Florida's
36	recognition of the nationally observed Minority Cancer Awareness
37	Week, will encourage efforts to reduce ethnic, racial, and
38	socioeconomic cancer disparities, NOW, THEREFORE,
39
40	Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of
41	Florida:
42
43	That the Florida House of Representatives recognizes April
44	13-19, 2008, as "Minority Cancer Awareness Week" in Florida and
45	urges all Floridians to work with cancer education providers,
46	such as the American Cancer Society, to increase awareness of
47	the disparities that minority populations face in the fight
48	against cancer.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.