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RECOGNIZING MALNUTRITION AWARENESS WEEK
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HON. BILL PASCRELL, JR.
of new jersey
in the house of representatives
Friday, October 8, 2021
Mr. PASCRELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Malnutrition Awareness Week. This week marks the tenth observance of Malnutrition Awareness Week, which was founded by the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition in 2012.
Each year during this week. participating organizations seek to educate health care professionals about early detection and treatment of malnutrition, educate consumers on the importance of discussing their nutrition status with health care professionals, and increase awareness of nutrition's role in patient recovery.
Malnutrition is particularly prevalent in vulnerable populations, such as hospitalized patients, older adults, and minority populations. For example, one in two older adults is either malnourished or at risk of malnutrition.
Our Nation has financial as well as moral incentives to reduce malnutrition. Good nutrition can keep people healthy and out of health care institutions, thus reducing health care costs. Untreated malnutrition can lead to the loss of lean body mass, in turn causing complications such as delays in wound healing and recovery from surgery, illness, or disease. In fact, the current estimated cost for disease-associated malnutrition in older adults alone is $51.3 billion per year.
The good news is that common-sense solutions exist that can help reduce the prevalence of malnutrition now.
Clinical quality measures have been developed and tested to help improve nutrition screening and intervention and are being implemented by a learning collaborative of over 300 hospitals nationwide. Recognizing the linkages between malnutrition, food insecurity, and hunger, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should consider adding a malnutrition composite quality measure to its Medicare inpatient acute care reporting system.
Additionally, the Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture should work together to develop dietary guidance for the prevention and treatment of malnutrition in older adults and those with chronic conditions.
Malnutrition has been exacerbated by the global COVID-19 health pandemic that has intensified disparities, inequities, and social isolation and is further compounded by food insecurity. The importance of nutrition has been recognized by Congress with our passage of four different COVID-19 emergency funding bills, all of which I was proud to support.
I commend all those associated with Malnutrition Awareness Week, particularly the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition and the Defeat Malnutrition Today coalition. I also commend all those on the front lines of providing nutrition services to those in need, especially the national network of Meals on Wheels programs in our nation.
Working together, we can stop malnutrition in the United States. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to accomplish this goal.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 178
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