HR0435LRB101 12699 ALS 61400 r


  
1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

  
 
2    WHEREAS, The Austin community is the second-largest 
3community by population and the second-largest community 
4geographically in Chicago; and
  
 
5    WHEREAS, The Austin community is 83 percent African 
6American, with the other 17 percent spread between the 
7Hispanic, White, and other ethnic groups; and
  
 
8    WHEREAS, The Austin community has produced a number of 
9high-profile individuals, including public officials, actors, 
10professional athletes, and successful business leaders but is 
11mostly recognized as a community plagued with poverty and the 
12Nation's highest death rates due to chronic diseases, senseless 
13violence, and drugs; and
  
 
14    WHEREAS, According to the Chicago Health Atlas, the Austin 
15community has the highest death rates associated with chronic 
16illnesses, including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes; the 
17average life expectancy of residents on the West Side of 
18Chicago is only 68.2 years of life; individuals just seven 
19miles East on I-290 live to be approximately 88 years old; the 
20community has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the 
21city at 10.5 percent compared to Chicago's overall rate of 7.9 
22percent; and
  
 
 
 
HR0435- 2 -LRB101 12699 ALS 61400 r

1    WHEREAS, Nearly half of all homicides reported in 2017 in 
2Chicago occurred in the Austin community; last year, 530 
3murders were reported in Chicago; approximately 48.7 percent of 
4those were from the Austin community; and
  
 
5    WHEREAS, The Austin community is also at the center of the 
6opioid epidemic; the 2017 Chicago Annual Opioid Surveillance 
7Report by the Chicago Department of Public Health lists the 
8Austin  neighborhood as the most impacted community in the 
9Chicago area for opioid-related overdose deaths and the most 
10impacted area for EMS responses; and
  
 
11    WHEREAS, Chronic diseases, homicide, and the opioid crisis 
12are serious public health issues that require immediate 
13attention; therefore, be it
  
 
14    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE 
15HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that 
16we commend every endeavor to address the critical issues 
17plaguing the Austin community, especially the Loretto Hospital 
18for their public health approach to violence, which sees 
19violence as preventable and not just inevitable.