May 22, 2020 - WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-CA) on Thursday joined Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Tim Scott (R-SC) and 14 of their colleagues in applauding the passage of the resolution recognizing April as Minority Health Month. As in previous years, the Senators introduce this resolution to raise awareness of the disparities in health care and health outcomes faced by minority populations including American Indians, Alaska Natives, African Americans, Hispanics, Native Hawaiians, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. This year, the COVID-19 pandemic places an urgency on this issue, as preliminary data suggests that minority groups have been disproportionately impacted by the disease. Targeted solutions to help communities of color are critical to closing gaps in health outcomes and improving efforts to combat the COVID-19 crisis.
"Communities of color have been plagued by health disparities for far too long,” said Harris. “The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these inequities. We know that people of color are more likely to suffer from conditions such as heart disease, asthma, and lupus — conditions that could also put people at higher risk of complications or death from coronavirus. I’m proud to join my colleagues on this important resolution– it is vital that we take action to eradicate these disparities and improve access to care for minority communities across the nation.”
In addition to Senators Harris, Cardin and Scott, the resolution is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), John Boozman (R-AR), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Kevin Cramer (D-ND), Ron Wyden (D-OR), James Lankford (R-OK), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mike Braun (D-IN), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ed Markey (D-MA) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV).
Source: Senator Kamala D. Harris