Public Health
Public Health issues affect us all and determining the best means of addressing them is an important part of my work in Congress.
From preventing and treating HIV/AIDS to reducing the harm associated with tobacco products and its use, Congressman Towns has a lifelong commitment to strengthening our public health system. As a former administrator at Beth Israel Medical Center, Towns believes that hospitals and public health departments serve as the glue that holds together our public health system.
Congressman Towns has supported the following Public Health initiatives in the 112th Congress:
H.R.111, Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2011, this bill would require that health plans provide coverage for a minimum hospital stay for mastectomies, lumpectomies, and lymph node dissection.
H.RES.51, this resolution supports the goals and ideals of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.
H.RES.171, this resolution supports the goals and ideals of National Minority Health Awareness Month in April 2011. The legislation supports bringing attention to severe health disparities faced by minority populations such as American Indians and Alaska Natives, Asians, Blacks or African-Americans, Hispanics or Latinos, and Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders.
H.RES.176, this resolution commemorates the progress made by anti-tuberculosis programs. The legislation supports the goals of World TB Day to raise awareness about tuberculosis, commends the progress made by U.S.-led anti-tuberculosis programs, and reaffirms the commitment of the House of Representatives to global tuberculosis control through the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008.
H.RES.214, this resolution expresses support for the designation of May 2011 as Mental Health Month.
Congressman Towns has supported the following Public Health initiatives in the 111th Congress:
H.R. 805, the Strengthening America's Public Health System Act. This bill would provide for the establishment of the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity Grant Program to assist public health agencies in improving surveillance for, and response to, infectious diseases and other conditions of public health importance and provide for the expansion of applied epidemiology training programs.
H.R. 1296, the Access for All America Act, which amends the Public Health Service Act to increase and extend the authorization of appropriations for community health centers.
H.R. 916, the Preventive Medicine and Public Health Training Act, to allow for the Centers for Disease Control to issue grants or contract with certain eligible entities to provide training to graduate medical residents in preventive medicine specialties.
H.R. 1179, the Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Prevention, Education, and Research Act of 2009, to provide for the establishment of a Tick-Borne Diseases Advisory Committee to ensure interagency, private organizations, and constituency group coordination, communication and to minimize overlap regarding efforts to address tick-borne diseases.
H.R. 1256, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which passed both the House and the Senate, and was signed into law in on June 22, 2009. It requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to require that advertising and labeling concerning modified risk tobacco products enable the public to understand the information and its significance in the context of total health and in relation to all of the diseases and health-related conditions associated with the use of tobacco products.
H.R. 1964, the National Black Clergy for the Elimination of HIV/AIDS Act of 2009, makes grants available to public health agencies and faith-based organizations to conduct HIV/AIDS prevention, testing, and related outreach activities to reduce HIV/AIDS in the African-American community.
H.R. 2137, the Routine HIV Screening Coverage Act of 2009 to require individual and group health insurance coverage and group health plans and Federal employees’ health benefit plans to provide coverage for routine HIV screening.
H.R.179, Community AIDS and Hepatitis Prevention Act, allows the use of federal funds to establish or carry out a program distributing sterile syringes to reduce the transmission of blood borne pathogens, including the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and viral hepatitis.