Introduction of the Women's Health Office Act

INTRODUCTION OF THE WOMEN'S HEALTH OFFICE ACT

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HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

OF NEW YORK

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Mrs. MALONEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today along with Representative Chris Murphy and Representative Tammy Baldwin to introduce the Women's Health Office Act. This critical bill which will help close the serious gaps in health care for women, by providing statutory authorization for the offices of women's health in five federal agencies which currently are not protected by law. Many people are shocked when they learn that women were excluded from most medical research studies until 1985. That means it has been just 24 years since we began to understand that women are more prone to ailments like osteoporosis, lupus, and depression. Just recently in 2004, we learned that women who were treated in emergency rooms were less likely than men to receive life-saving medications for heart attacks because doctors did not fully understand the different symptoms of a heart attack in women. How much do we still not know? For years, the offices of women's health in key federal health agencies have been conducting vital research to identify disparities in women's health care, and spearheading innovative programs to close those gaps. However, only two of those offices are federally authorized and protected by law: the Office of Research on Women's Health at the National Institutes of Health, and the Office for Women's Services at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. This bill will give permanent authorization to the federal offices located in the Department of Health and Human Services, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Food and Drug Administration. Without it, those five offices will always be vulnerable to understaffing, underfunding, or complete elimination. Recent initiatives like the establishment of the White House Council on Women and Girls shows that we're finally starting to get it--women have unique experiences, needs, and interests, and these need to be considered and addressed. In no area of public policy is this more true than with health care. I urge my colleagues to support the Women's Health Office Act, to put those offices of women's health on a secure footing and give women the kind of health care they need and deserve.

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