Political Quotes

“Thank you, Congressman Payne. Welcome back. And I am glad you are taking care of yourself. Madam Speaker, again, I thank my colleagues for taking the time during National Minority Health Awareness Month to assess the very critical state of black health in America. As stated earlier, the health disparities facing communities of color are too significant to adequately address in just an hour. As a recent CDC Health Disparities Report demonstrated: Blacks diagnosed with HIV are less likely than any other groups to be linked to care, retained in care, receive treatment, and achieve adequate viral suppression; Although black Americans represent only 12 percent of the U.S. population, they accounted for 44 percent of new HIV infections and represented 49 percent of all deaths with HIV in 2010. Furthermore, blacks also accounted for 49 percent of new AIDS diagnoses in 2011; According to the U.S. Census Bureau 2010 Population Estimates, 84 percent of all reported tuberculosis cases occurred in racial and ethnic minorities. African Americans accounted for 40 percent of TB cases amongst U.S.-born persons. These facts account for a few of the health disparities affecting the state of black health. The Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust is committed to strengthening our Nation's public health infrastructure and developing community-oriented, multidisciplinary approaches to public health.…”