On May 7, the Senate passed, by unanimous consent, a resolution (S. Con. Res. 81) supporting “National Women’s Health Week.”
Sponsored by Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), 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 leading a healthy lifestyle that includes engaging in regular physical activity, eating a nutritious diet, and visiting a health care provider to receive regular check-ups and preventive 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;
it is important to educate women and girls about the significance of awareness of key women’s health issues;
the offices of women’s health within the Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Health Resources and Services Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality are vital to providing critical services that support women’s health research and education and other necessary services that benefit women of all ages, races, and ethnicities;
“National Women’s Health Week” begins on Mother’s Day each year and celebrates the efforts of national and community organizations that work with partners and volunteers to improve awareness of key women’s health issues; and
the week of May 11 through May 17 is dedicated as “National Women’s Health Week.”The resolution “recognizes the importance of preventing diseases that commonly affect women…calls on the people of the United States to use ‘National Women’s Health Week’ as an opportunity to learn about health issues that face women; calls on the women of the United States to observe ‘National Women’s Check-Up Day’ on May 12, 2008, by receiving preventive screenings from their health care providers; and recognizes the importance of federally funded programs that provide research and collect data on diseases that commonly affect women.”
