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PARRIS N. GLENDENING, Governor
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Ch. 162
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WHEREAS, Many minority groups suffer disproportionately from six areas of
health concern: cancer, infant mortality, cardiovascular disease, HIV/AIDS,
immunization, and diabetes; and
WHEREAS, More than 75 percent of AIDS cases are in minority groups, the
prevalence of diabetes is 70 percent higher among African Americans than whites,
diabetes is twice as likely to occur in Hispanics than whites, cardiovascular disease is
the leading cause of death for racial and ethnic groups, infant death rates among
African Americans, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and Hispanics are well above
the national average of deaths per live births, and the incidence rate for lung cancer
in African American men is about 50 percent higher than white men; and
WHEREAS, The demographic changes that are anticipated over the next decade
magnify the importance of addressing disparities in health status. Groups currently
experiencing poorer health status are expected to grow as a proportion of the total
U.S. population; therefore, the future health of America as a whole will be influenced
substantially by our success in improving the health of these racial and ethnic
minorities; and
WHEREAS, Eliminating Reducing racial and ethnic disparities in these six
areas will require effective interventions for prevention and treatment; and
WHEREAS, The Department of Health and Human Services has committed the
nation to an ambitious goal by the year 2010 eliminating of reducing the disparities in
the six areas of health status experienced by racial and ethnic minority populations
while continuing the progress made in improving the overall health of the American
people; and
WHEREAS, Achieving the goal set by the Department of Health and Human
Services will require a major national commitment to identify and address the
underlying causes of higher levels of disease and disability in racial and ethnic
minority communities, including poverty, lack of access to quality health services,
environmental hazards in homes and neighborhoods, and the need for effective
prevention programs tailored to specific community needs; now, therefore,
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
MARYLAND, That the Laws of Maryland read as follows:
Article - Health - General
20-502.
(A) There is a nonprofit Maryland Health Care Foundation established to:
[promote public awareness of the need to provide more timely and cost-effective care
for Marylanders without health insurance and to] receive moneys that can be used to
provide financial support to programs that expand access to health care services for
uninsured AND ELIMINATE HEALTH DISPARITIES FOR Marylanders.
(B) THE MARYLAND HEALTH CARE FOUNDATION SHALL PROMOTE PUBLIC
AWARENESS OF THE NEED TO:
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- 1591 -
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