PRINTER'S NO. 2610
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 323
Session of
2024
INTRODUCED BY SOLOMON, SANCHEZ, HILL-EVANS, CERRATO, CONKLIN,
D. WILLIAMS, DALEY AND NEILSON, FEBRUARY 20, 2024
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, FEBRUARY 20, 2024
A RESOLUTION
1 Designating the month of August 2024 as "Civic Health Month" in
2 Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, Civic engagement is a critical opportunity for a
4 voter to shape the policies that affect the health challenges
5 facing the voter's local community; and
6 WHEREAS, Civic health describes the capacity of a community
7 to address issues that impact the well-being of community
8 members through participation in elections and other civic
9 engagement activities; and
10 WHEREAS, Civic participation gives a voter the ability to
11 shape the policies that affect a voter's personal health
12 outcomes; and
13 WHEREAS, Civic health is recognized as a social determinant
14 of an individual's health; and
15 WHEREAS, An individual who votes as a form of civic
16 participation self-reports better health than an individual who
17 does not vote; and
18 WHEREAS, Health outcomes may be determined by nonmedical
 1 factors, including access to food, transportation and affordable
2 housing; and
3 WHEREAS, Medical professionals have made great strides in
4 addressing the underlying social conditions that make their
5 patients sick, including hunger, drug addiction and
6 homelessness; and
7 WHEREAS, By checking civic vital signs, including voter
8 registration and participation, when talking to colleagues and
9 patients, health care providers can promote better civic health;
10 and
11 WHEREAS, Nonpartisan voter registration in medical settings
12 has been successful in registering patients to vote and
13 expanding the number of engaged voters; and
14 WHEREAS, Empowering community members to register to vote and
15 participate in elections is a critical action health care
16 institutions can take to improve not only community-level civic
17 health, but also individual-level physical and mental health;
18 and
19 WHEREAS, More than 200 hospitals, health care associations
20 and civic engagement organizations unite to celebrate "Civic
21 Health Month" each August; therefore be it
22 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate the
23 month of August 2024 as "Civic Health Month" in Pennsylvania.
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