Women’s Health Week Resolution Approved by Senate - Women's Congressional Policy Institute

On May 16, the Senate approved, by unanimous consent, a resolution (S. Res. 204) supporting Women’s Health Week, which promotes awareness of diseases that disproportionately affect women and encourages preventive steps to ensure good health.

Sponsored by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), 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;
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 women’s 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 2007, the week of May 13 through May 19, is dedicated as the National Women’s Health Week.The resolution urges Americans to use National Women’s Health Week as an opportunity to learn about health issues that face women, observe National Women’s Check-Up Day by receiving preventive screenings from their health care providers, and recognize the importance of federally funded programs that provide research and collect data on common diseases in women