Senate Approves Women’s Health Week Resolution

On May 22, the Senate approved a resolution (S. Res. 487), by unanimous consent, supporting Women’s Health Week, which promotes awareness of diseases that disproportionately affect women and which encourages preventive steps to ensure good health.

Sponsored by Sens. Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME), the resolution contains a number of findings, including:

• Women of all backgrounds have the power to greatly reduce their risk of common diseases through preventive measures, such as a healthy lifestyle and frequent medical screenings;
• Significant disparities exist in the prevalence of disease among women of different backgrounds, including women with disabilities, African American women, Asian/Pacific Islander women, Latinas, and American Indian/Alaska Native women;
• Since healthy habits should begin at a young age and preventive care saves federal health dollars, it is important to raise awareness among women and girls of key female health issues;
• National Women’s Health Week begins on Mother’s Day annually and celebrates the efforts of national and community organizations working with partners and volunteers to improve awareness of key women’s health issues; and
• In 2006, the week of May 14 through May 20, is dedicated as the National Women’s Health Week.The resolution urges that women observe National Women’s Check-Up Day on Monday, May 15, by obtaining preventive screenings, and it expresses support for federally funded research and data collection on diseases in women and any racial disparities in the rates of those diseases.