South Asian Heart Health Awareness and Research Act of 2022
Floor Speech
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Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1254, I call up the bill (H.R. 3771) to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for research and improvement of cardiovascular health among the South Asian population of the United States, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
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Mr. PALLONE. 3771.
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Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3771, the South Asian Heart Health Awareness and Research Act of 2022. I thank Representative Jayapal and the bill's bipartisan sponsors for their work on this important piece of legislation.
Heart disease, Madam Speaker, claims a life in the United States every 34 seconds. In 2020 alone, heart disease resulted in the deaths of 697,000 Americans. These statistics, which are troubling by themselves, are further shaped by systemic health disparities. Black men have a 70 percent higher risk of heart failure compared to White men, and Black women have a 50 percent higher risk compared to White women. Heart disease is the leading cause of death among Hispanic men, and for Hispanic women, heart disease is second only to cancer.
The South Asian community is also disproportionately impacted by this deadly disease. While South Asians comprise 23 percent of the world's population as of 2020, they carry approximately 60 percent of the world's global burden of heart disease. The increased risk and disproportionate impact that heart disease has on the South Asian- American community in this country is often obscured by the lack of data specificity, as South Asian Americans are often grouped with other Asian Americans.
So H.R. 3771 takes a multipronged approach to address these trends. The legislation allows States to direct culturally appropriate resources to communities that are disproportionately impacted by heart disease through grants, with the goal of increasing awareness and promoting prevention. The legislation also supports research efforts on cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and other heart-related ailments among at-risk populations.
H.R. 3771 is a bipartisan, commonsense approach to an undeniable heart health and research gap for the South Asian-American community. These important investments will ensure a greater understanding with respect to individuals disproportionately at risk for heart-related disease and will help in our efforts to address disparities in heart health currently experienced by many Americans.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.
I just want to thank Representative Jayapal, again, because, as you know, Madam Speaker, I have a very large Asian-American community, and many of them, particularly the healthcare providers, have pointed to the problems disproportionately with heart disease.
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Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Jayapal), who is the bill's sponsor.
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Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may to consume to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu).
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Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Let me just thank, again, Ms. Jayapal and others on a bipartisan basis. This is a very important bill for my district in many areas where we have a large South Asian community.
And one of the things that Ms. Chu mentioned was the data. Oftentimes, we don't have the data, and just getting the information, in itself, is going to be significant as a result of this bill. I ask for support on both sides, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3771, known as the South Asian Heart Health Awareness and Research Act of 2021.
This bill establishes programs that support heart-disease research and awareness among communities disproportionately affected by heart disease, like the South Asian community within the United States.
The South Asian American community across the United States grew by nearly 40 percent between 2010 and 2017. Today, there are over 5 million South Asian Americans in the United States.
South Asian Americans are four times more likely to suffer from heart disease than other ethnic groups, and experience heart problems nearly a decade earlier on average.
Globally, South Asians have emerged as the ethnic group with the highest prevalence of Type 2 diabetes, which is a leading cause of heart disease.
Type 2 diabetes often occurs due to a combination of a patient's genetics, and environment. Those with South Asian heritage contain a genetic predisposition that places them at an even greater risk for Type 2 diabetes, and by extension, heart disease.
Studies have shown that South Asians in the United States--people who immigrated from or whose families immigrated from countries including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal--are experiencing dramatic rises in rates of heart disease when compared to other immigrant groups within the United States.
As a co-chair of the Congressional Pakistan Caucus and a member of the Congressional India Caucus, I've had the pleasure of engaging with members of the South Asian community, especially within my hometown of Houston. Texas has one of the highest populations of South Asian Americans, along with California and New Jersey.
This bill would direct the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary to create grants to provide funding for community groups involved in South Asian heart health advocacy, while also developing culturally appropriate materials to promote heart health in the South Asian community.
These culturally appropriate materials to promote heart health would be tailored by health care providers who best understand the specific needs of the South Asian community within the United States.
It would also direct the HHS Secretary to fund grants through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to conduct research on cardiovascular disease and other heart ailments.
Organizations like the South Asian Heart Center and the South Asian Health Initiative would be eligible for these opportunities.
These organizations work to educate members of the South Asian American community about their increased risk for heart disease, lead prevention efforts through programs that promote healthy lifestyles, and work on research towards understanding why South Asian Americans are at an increased risk for heart disease.
This legislation would be instrumental in improving the health and wellbeing of millions of Americans. It is endorsed by a number of health organizations such as:
the American College of Cardiology,
American Heart Association,
American Medical Association,
American Stroke Association,
WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease,
American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin,
South Asian Public Health Association,
Hindu American Foundation,
Hindu American Physicians in Seva,
South Asian Health Lifestyle Intervention,
Bangladsh Medical Association of North America, and
South Asian Heart Center.
I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3771.
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Mr. PALLONE. Yes, I will be the designee in lieu of Ms. Sherrill.
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Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the underlying bill, H.R. 3771, and to offer an amendment that focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on rates of heart disease in at-risk communities.
The COVID-19 pandemic has taken an immeasurable toll on the American people. Over one million people have lost their lives, and countless more will suffer long-term health impacts as a result of the disease.
There is an undeniable link between COVID-19 infections and ongoing heart complications. A study published in Nature Medicine in February of this year concluded the risk of heart problems 1 year after COVID-19 infection is substantial.
COVID-19 can indirectly attack the heart through lack of oxygen, causing the heart to overwork and contributing to cell death and tissue damage in the heart and other organs. It can also infect the heart's muscle tissue, leading to tissue damage and inflammation, stress cardiomyopathy, and blood clots.
And as a result, COVID-19 has only widened heart health disparities around the country. During the pandemic, Black, Hispanic, and Asian populations in the U.S. experienced a disproportionate rise in deaths caused by heart disease.
This amendment directs the Secretary of HHS to enter into an agreement with the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, or another appropriate entity, to conduct a study on the relationship between COVID-19 and rates of morbidity and mortality as a result of heart disease in at-risk communities.
We must take steps now to understand the scope of the relationship between COVID-19 and heart disease in our most vulnerable populations.
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Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Jayapal), the sponsor of the bill.
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Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I would urge support for the amendment, as well as the underlying bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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