Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 90 Part 1.djvu/451

 PUBLIC LAW 94-278—APR. 22, 1976

90 STAT. 401

Public Law 94-278 94th Congress An Act To amend the Public Health Service Act to revise and extend the program under the National Heart and Lung Institute, to revise and extend the program of National Research Service Awards, and to establish a national program with respect to genetic diseases; and to require a study and report on the release of research information.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. (a) This Act may be cited as the "Health Research and Health Services Amendments of 1976"'. (b) Whenever in this Act (other than in titles III, V, VI, VII, and X I) an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provision, the reference shall be considered to be made to a section or other provision of the Public Health Service Act.

Apr. 22, 197(3 [H.R. 7988]

Health Research and Health Services Amendments of 1976. 42 USC 201 note. 42 USC 201 note.

TITLE I—KEVISION OF NATIONAL HEART AND LUNG INSTITUTE PROGRAMS SEC. 101. (a) Congress finds and declares that— (1) diseases of the heart, blood, and blood vessels collectively cause more than half of all the deaths each year in the United States and the combined effect of the disabilities and deaths from such diseases is having a major social and economic impact on the Nation; (2) elimination of heart and blood vessel diseases as significant causes of disability and death could increase the average American's life expectancy by about eleven years and could provide for annual savings to the economy in lost wages, productivity, and cost of medical care of more than $40,000,000,000 per year; (3) chronic lung diseases have been gaining steadily in recent years as important causes of disability and death, vrith emphysema being among the fastest rising causes of death in the United States; (4) chronic respiratory diseases affect an estimated ten million Americans, emphysema an estimated one million, chronic bronchitis an estimated four million, and asthma an estimated five million; (5) thrombosis (the formation of blood clots in the vessels) may cause, directly or in combination with other problems, many deaths and disabilities from heart disease and stroke which can now be prevented; (6) blood and blood products are essential human resources whose value in saving life and promoting health cannot be assessed in terms of dollars; (7) the provision of prompt and effective emergency medical services utilizing to the fullest extent possible advances in transportation and communications and other electronic systems and specially trained professional and paraprofessional health care personnel can reduce substantially the number of fatalities and

42 USC 287 note.

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