CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION

House Resolution
No. 84

Introduced by Assembly Member Bonta

April 01, 2024

Relative to National Minority Health Month.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


HR 84, as introduced, Bonta.
WHEREAS, High cholesterol, also called hypercholesterolemia, is the chronic presence of high levels of cholesterol in the blood that can lead to cardiovascular disease (CVD), and even cardiovascular (CV) events like heart attacks or strokes; and
WHEREAS, The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that CVD is arguably the most underappreciated public health crisis of our time and someone in the United States has a heart attack every 40 seconds—yet about 80 percent are preventable; and
WHEREAS, Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), or “bad” cholesterol, is an easily modifiable risk factor for CVD and lower LDL-C is associated with a reduced risk of heart attack and stroke; and
WHEREAS, Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States among racial and ethnic minority populations; and
WHEREAS, The American Heart Association (AHA) has demonstrated that Hispanic Americans are at exceptionally high risk for cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease, both of which can lead to a stroke or heart attack; and
WHEREAS, More than 80,000,000 adults have high LDL-C; and
WHEREAS, The AHA indicates that CVD disproportionately affects minority populations with 52.3 percent of Hispanic males, 42.7 percent of Hispanic females, 60.1 percent of Black males, and 58.8 percent of Black females 20 years of age and older affected by CVD; and
WHEREAS, The CDC found that one in three deaths in the United States is due to heart disease, resulting in more than $216,000,000,000 in healthcare costs; and
WHEREAS, Nearly 60 percent of middle-aged Hispanic adults have high cholesterol, yet only half are aware of this, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association; and
WHEREAS, A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology found cholesterol testing, an important preventive measure for reducing the risk of CVD, declined during the COVID-19 pandemic; and
WHEREAS, The resources needed to bend the curve in CVD exist, yet 71 percent of hypercholesterolemia patients at high risk of a CV event never achieve recommended LDL-C treatment guideline thresholds; and
WHEREAS, The LDL-C Action Summit, a consortium of the nation’s leading CV stakeholder groups, seeks to cut CV events in half by 2030; and
WHEREAS, The CDC’s Million Hearts program seeks to improve access and quality of care to reduce heart disease, stroke, and death; and
WHEREAS, The United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health recognizes April as National Minority Health Month; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the Assembly recognizes April as National Minority Health Month and calls for increased cholesterol tests for all; and be it further
Resolved, That the Assembly encourages all Americans to know their LDL-C level; and be it further
Resolved, That the Assembly urges the State Department of Health Care Services to update the state’s CV plan to accelerate quality improvements and measures to achieve improved health outcomes for CVD patients and to develop campaigns to increase cholesterol tests during the month of April; and be it further
Resolved, That the Assembly urges providers to treat all CVD patients in accordance with American College of Cardiology treatment guidelines; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.