This resolution recognizes the significant racial disparities in colorectal cancer impact and advocates for increased awareness, screening access, and research, particularly within Hispanic communities.
Pablo José Hernández Rivera
Representative
PR
This resolution officially recognizes the serious racial disparities in colorectal cancer impact, particularly within Hispanic communities where screening rates are significantly lower. It urges federal agencies like the CDC and NIH to expand efforts to eliminate these disparities through increased awareness, education, and improved access to screening. The bill emphasizes the importance of early screening, which is highly effective in preventing and treating colorectal cancer.
Resolution Urges CDC & NIH to Target Colorectal Cancer Disparities in Hispanic Communities
This resolution from the House of Representatives is essentially Congress officially putting a spotlight on a serious public health issue: colorectal cancer (CRC) and the stark racial disparities surrounding it, specifically within the Hispanic community. It formally designates March as National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and, crucially, encourages key federal agencies to step up their research and intervention efforts.
Why This Matters: Screening Gaps and Rising Risks
The core of the resolution recognizes that CRC is a major killer—the second leading cause of cancer death for Hispanic men and the third for Hispanic women. The problem isn't just the disease itself, but the screening gap: less than half of eligible Hispanic adults get screened, compared to 58 percent of their non-Hispanic White counterparts. Screening is vital because it catches cancer early or prevents it entirely by removing polyps. The resolution is a direct call to action to close this gap.
The Federal Homework Assignment
This resolution gives the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) some specific homework. For the CDC, the resolution encourages them to expand efforts to figure out why these racial differences in screening exist and then develop smart ways to fix those disparities until they disappear. It also asks the CDC to look into any environmental factors that might be contributing to CRC risk. For the NIH, the focus is on the future: they are encouraged to research why young adults (ages 20-49) are seeing a rising risk of CRC, which is expected to be the number one cause of cancer death for this age group by 2030.
What This Means for Everyday People
Since this is a resolution, it doesn't create new laws or mandate specific funding—it’s Congress using its voice to set a priority. However, for people in the affected communities, this focus can translate into real-world benefits. If the CDC and NIH follow through, you could see more targeted public health campaigns, better resources for community health centers, and potentially new screening access programs aimed at overcoming language or financial barriers. For a 45-year-old Hispanic worker, this resolution means that the federal government is paying attention to the fact that they are less likely to get the preventative care that could save their life. It’s a good step toward ensuring health equity, even if the effectiveness relies entirely on the agencies committing resources to the encouraged research and intervention programs.