The primary purpose of SRES 378 is to officially designate the week of September 8 through September 12, 2025, as "Malnutrition Awareness Week." This resolution aims to raise awareness about malnutrition, its impacts, and the importance of nutrition in health care and community settings.
The resolution includes several important provisions that highlight the significance of addressing malnutrition:
Support for Malnutrition Awareness Week: The Senate expresses its support for the designation of this week to promote awareness.
Recognition of Professionals: It acknowledges the contributions of registered dietitian nutritionists, health care providers, school food service workers, and others involved in combating malnutrition.
Federal Nutrition Programs: The resolution recognizes the critical role of existing federal nutrition programs, such as those under the Older Americans Act and child nutrition programs, and advocates for increased funding for these initiatives.
Community Partnerships: It emphasizes the importance of collaboration among community organizations, food banks, and healthcare providers to address malnutrition, especially in underserved areas.
Medical Nutrition Therapy: The resolution highlights the need for access to medical nutrition therapy under Medicare for vulnerable populations.
Research Recognition: It acknowledges the innovative research by the National Institutes of Health on nutrition and its impact on chronic disease prevention.
Impact on All Ages: The resolution notes that malnutrition affects individuals of all ages and stresses the importance of early identification and intervention to reduce healthcare costs and complications.
Malnutrition Care Score: It encourages the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to implement a new Malnutrition Care Score for adults over 18.
Healthy Food Access for Children: The resolution underscores the importance of providing healthy food access in childcare settings and schools, along with evidence-based nutrition standards.
National Health Goals: It asserts that addressing malnutrition is essential for achieving national objectives related to chronic disease prevention and healthy aging.
This resolution serves as a call to action for increased awareness and collaborative efforts to combat malnutrition, ultimately aiming to improve health outcomes across various populations.