; Whereas American Indians and Alaskan Natives die from diabetes, alcoholism, unintentional injuries, homicide, and suicide at higher rates than other people in the United States; Whereas American Indians and Alaskan Natives have a life expectancy that is 4.4 years shorter than the life expectancy of the overall population of the United States; Whereas African American women die from childbirth or pregnancy-related causes at a rate that is 3 to 4 times higher than the rate for non-Hispanic White women; Whereas African American babies are 3.2 times more likely than non-Hispanic White babies to die due to complications related to low birth weight; Whereas American Indian and Alaskan Native babies are twice as likely as non-Hispanic White babies to die from sudden infant death syndrome; Whereas American Indian and Alaskan Natives have 1.6 times the infant mortality rate as that of non-Hispanic Whites; Whereas American Indian and Alaskan Native babies are 70 percent more likely to die from accidental deaths before their first birthday than non-Hispanic White babies; Whereas sickle cell disease affects approximately 100,000 people in the United States, occurring in approximately 1 out of every 365 African American births and 1 out of every 16,300 Hispanic births; Whereas only 9.5 percent of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders, 6.8 percent of Asian Americans, 8 percent of Hispanics, 9 percent of African Americans, and 14 percent of American Indians and Alaska Natives received mental health treatment or counseling in the past year, compared to 18 percent of non-Hispanic Whites; Whereas marked differences in the social determinants of health can lead to poor health outcomes and declines in longevity; and Whereas community-based health care initiatives, such as prevention-focused programs, present a unique opportunity to use innovative approaches to improve health practices across the United States and to reduce disparities among racial and ethnic minority populations: Now, therefore, be it