Expressing support for the designation of October 1 as "National Latino and Latina Physician Day".

Whereas the Latino and Latina population in the United States will rise from 42,000,000 individuals in 2005 to 128,000,000 individuals by 2050;

Whereas Latinos and Latinas comprise 60 percent of the population growth in the United States;

Whereas, by 2050, Latinos and Latinas will account for more than 1 in 4 individuals in the United States and 1 in 3 children in the United States;

Whereas, as of 2024, only 6.7 percent of physicians in the United States are Latino or Latina;

Whereas only 2.8 percent of physicians in the United States are Latina;

Whereas the Latino and Latina population faces significant barriers to accessing medical care, including high poverty, fewer facilities in Latino and Latina communities, and language and cultural barriers;

Whereas a lack of diversity in the medical field leads to worse health outcomes for Latino and Latina patients, including higher rates of chronic disease and maternal mortality;

Whereas research shows that when physicians are of the same ethnicity, culture, and language as the patients of such physicians, care and outcomes improve;

Whereas, according to AAMC projections, the United States will face a persistent physician shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036, and the health of the Nation depends on increasing access to careers in medicine, including the number of Latino and Latina physicians;

Whereas the first National Latino and Latina Physician Day occurred across the United States on October 1, 2022, and was supported by multiple national organizations and the Latino and Latina community, including premedical students, resident physicians, and attending physicians; and

Whereas the designation of October 1 as National Latino and Latina Physician Day will bring awareness to the benefits Latino and Latina physicians bring to the growing Latino and Latina population and the health of the United States as a whole: Now, therefore, be it