HEART for Women Act

Madam Speaker, in order to attend a funeral in my congressional district, I missed 17 votes on March 5 and March 6.

Had I been present I would have voted:

``Yea'' on rollcall 91, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, to redesignate Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park in the State of Ohio as ``Wright Brothers-Dunbar National Historical Park'', and for other purposes;

``Yea'' on rollcall 92, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, Supporting Taiwan's fourth direct and democratic presidential elections in March 2008;

``Yea'' on rollcall 93, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, Condemning the ongoing Palestinian rocket attacks on Israeli civilians, and for other purposes;

``Yea'' on rollcall 94, Will the House Now Consider the Resolution, Providing for the consideration of H.R. 1014, Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act;

``Yea'' on rollcall 95, On Ordering the Previous Question, Providing for the consideration of H.R. 1014, Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act,

``Yea'' on rollcall 96, On Agreeing to the Resolution, Providing for the consideration of H.R. 1014, Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act;

``Yea'' on rollcall 97, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended, Cyndi Taylor Krier Post Office Building;

``Yea'' on rollcall 98, On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Agree, Expressing the sense of Congress that Earl Lloyd should be recognized and honored for breaking the color barrier and becoming the first African-American to play in the National Basketball Association League 58 years ago;

``Yea'' on rollcall 99, On motion to table the motion to appeal the ruling of the chair;

``Nay'' on rollcall 100, Motion to Recommit H.R. 1424, Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act,

``Yea'' on rollcall 101, Final Passage of H.R. 1424--Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2007;

``Yea'' on rollcall 102, H.R. 5400--To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 160 East Washington Street in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, as the Sgt. Michael M. Kashkoush Post Office Building;

``Yea'' on rollcall 103, H. Res 1015--Democratic Motion on Ordering the Previous Question on H.R. 2857--Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act;

``Yea'' on rollcall 104, H. Res 1015--On Agreeing to the Resolution-- Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act;

``Nay'' on rollcall 105, on agreeing to the Flake amendment, H.R. 2857, Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act;

``Yea'' on rollcall 106, on agreeing to the Inslee amendment, H.R. 2857, Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act; and

``Yea'' on rollcall 107, Motion to Table the Appeal of the Ruling of the Chair.

Mr. Speaker, as the initiator of this resolution, I would first like to take a moment to thank Chairman Dingell for supporting the resolution and for bringing, being instrumental, rather, in bringing it to the floor today.

I would also like to thank Speaker Pelosi and Mr. Hoyer for their determination in bringing this measure to the floor during National Women's Health Week, despite the very crowded legislative schedule.

I would also like to thank Chairman Pallone and all of the fine members of the Health Subcommittee and their resolve in getting this through the committee and to the floor.

Finally, I'd like to thank my good friends, Congresswoman Lois Capps and Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack for taking the lead with me on this resolution for the third time in a row.

This resolution has the bipartisan sponsorship of 114 Members of this House. Also, the National Council of Women's Organizations fully endorsed this bill on behalf of their 230 member organizations who represent 11 million women across our country.

National Women's Health Week begins annually on Mother's Day. This

year marks the 9th Annual National Women's Health Week.

National Women's Health Week is a week celebrated across America. During this week, families, communities, businesses, government, health organizations and other groups work together to help educate women about steps that they could take to improve their physical and mental health, and to prevent various disease.

This week is also used as an opportunity to educate our population about important health issues that women face.

This resolution recognizes the importance of several things, including preventing diseases that commonly affect women; federally funded programs that provide research and collect data on common diseases in women, and it also calls on women to observe National Women's Checkup Day by receiving preventive screenings.

It is vitally important that women have knowledge about the health risks that confront them, and that they know they can greatly reduce those risks through preventive measures such as a healthy lifestyle and regular medical screening.

Healthy habits should begin at a young age. It is imperative that we take the time to educate young girls on the benefits of exercise and eating right. If these habits start at a young age, it is more likely that they will continue through their life.

It is important and essential we do everything we can to prevent disease. In this spirit, I encourage women to use this week to focus on the necessary checkups and preventive screenings from their health care providers so that they can live long, healthy and productive lives.

I urge full support and passage of this very important measure on behalf of the women of our country.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Tim Murphy) for the leadership that he brings to our Health Subcommittee.

I also want to thank the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps) for her attentiveness to women's health issues. She is an effective advocate.

And to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Hinchey) for his leadership on the issue, and for honoring us, all women, with the resolution and bringing the resolution forward to the body as a whole.

Mr. Speaker, as has been discussed, this is House Concurrent Resolution 331, and I do join my colleagues in encouraging all of us, not only to support the resolution, but to be effective spokespeople for what the resolution means; that we move forward, actively, to encourage women to gather the information that they need, because indeed, one of the purposes is to encourage women to seek information, to become health conscious and as the gentleman from New York said, to develop those healthy habits.

And it is not only adult women that we are speaking to, but it is to young girls also as they look at diet, as they look at exercise, as they gather information about how to best take care of themselves. And we do encourage them to seek that information, to get regular checkups, to become knowledgeable of the preventive screenings that will help them to stay healthy and to enjoy a better quality of life.

One thing that we also do is encourage women to have that relationship with their primary care physician, somebody that they can go to to gather the information about how to become knowledgeable on taking care of their bodies.

We've talked a little bit about some of the diseases that affect women, fibromyalgia, depression and, of course, postpartum depression, which concerns us all with the young women and those in the child- bearing years.

Heart disease also and some of the screenings that are important for that. And as the gentleman from Pennsylvania said, there is the website where individuals can access this information.

But we do stand together to promote prevention and awareness for disease management so that the women of this Nation are certainly taking better care of themselves, and are knowledgeable on the diseases that could impair their quality of life and their productivity.

Again, I join my colleagues and thank them for the leadership on Resolution 331. And I appreciate the opportunity to stand and speak on the importance of this, and again, encourage all Members, not only to support it, but to actually be certain that we disseminate this information to our constituents.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlelady, my friend from California, for all of the hard work she has put into this issue for the last several years, not just this year. It has been a real passion with her for a long time, and I thank her for that.

I rise in support of this important resolution because it does raise awareness about heart disease and the effect on women, which doesn't get talked about as much as heart disease in men.

As a breast cancer survivor, I spend a lot of time raising awareness about breast cancer and the importance of preventive screening and effective treatments. Those are vital battles, and as a country we have made great strides towards earlier detection of cancer and less invasive treatments.

But when we are reminded that heart disease is the leading cause of death for American women, it is a sobering thought. I remember being surprised to learn that the physical symptoms of heart attacks in women are often different than they are in men. Women are less likely to feel typical chest pains during the attacks. Women's symptoms are often characterized by back pain, nausea, indigestion, dizziness, and fatigue. While typical symptoms are hard to recognize, it is important to be vigilant about heart health.

Many lifesaving treatments like anticlotting drugs and angioplasty work best if given within the first hour of a heart attack, so it is important that we know what is going on with us as women. But before you get to that point, you want to prevent life-threatening heart attacks the easy way, through lifestyle changes that can keep heart disease in check.

The NIH and the FDA have helpful guidelines about steps that all American women and men can take to improve heart health. Some tips are as easy as talking to your doctor about it, and some are as easy as taking a daily stroll.

I appreciate the opportunity to speak on this resolution, and I hope women all across the country will take some time to do something good for themselves relative to their heart, and to wear red.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield so much time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn).

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Oklahoma (Ms. Fallin), who is a cosponsor of this resolution, such time as she may consume.

I have no further speakers, and I also I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I also thank the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps) for her thoughts and input on this bill, which I'm pleased to be a cosponsor today.

Appropriately, National Women's Health Week began this Monday, May 12, the day after Mother's Day, and this past Monday was National Women's Checkup Day. To this end, we encourage all women to discuss with their doctor the importance of regular checkups, self exams.

We also should note that the government has a Web site on this; it's www.womenshealth.gov/whw. There they recommend several tests that women should get on a regular basis.

Also like to mention, as we're focusing on women's health, as my colleague, my friend from California stated, this is also of interest and importance to men. Whether you're fathers or spouses or relatives, it's important to also be supportive of women's health and be supportive of exams they may need to have.

As we focus on this, I want to mention a few other conditions that impact women and the importance of Federal research funding. Fibromyalgia, for example, is a chronic pain illness characterized by widespread musculoskeletal aches, pains and stiffness, soft tissue tenderness, general fatigue and sleep disturbances.

Depression is another very important condition to highlight. Women, during and after pregnancy, for example, are at much greater risk to develop depression, and folks who have a chronic illness are at risk to develop depression.

Oftentimes, we neglect these important symptoms and aspects of health care when meeting with a physician. It is very important to review any concerns that anyone has, that women have when they have their annual exams, such as sleep problems, changes in appetite, mood changes, persistent sadness and other things. These are treatable conditions and not ones to shun in bringing up and discussing openly and honestly with their physician.

We have other things to comment on this, but at this point I will reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I now yield as much time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn), a leader and advocate on women's health issues.

Seeing as we have no more speakers, we're willing to close at this point and again draw attention and thank Mr. Hinchey for his support on this resolution. I ask all Members to be supportive of it.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1014, the HEART for Women Act. I thank my colleague for yielding to me, and I thank the lead co-sponsor of this bill, Congresswoman Barbara Cubin of Wyoming.

I was proud to first introduce the HEART for Women Act in 2006 with the help of organizations such as the American Heart Association, WomenHeart, and the Society for Women's Health Research. Since then, the list of supporters has grown to over 50 organizations, 237 cosponsors in the House, and 47 cosponsors of the Senate companion legislation.

This legislation was borne out of the realization that despite heart disease being the number one killer of women, too few people are aware of it. In 2006, only 21 percent of women identified heart disease as women's greatest health problem, and too few people were aware that heart disease manifests itself differently in women than in men.

The HEART for Women Act would improve the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease in women in three important ways.

First, it would authorize educational campaigns aimed at health providers and older women to make them more aware of the risks for cardiovascular disease among women.

Secondly, it will authorize the expansion of CDC's highly successful WISEWOMAN program, to which our chairman alluded. Since 2000, WISEWOMAN has been providing screenings for low-income uninsured women. The CDC has touted the success of WISEWOMAN in that they have screened over 79,000 women in need, identified over 7,600 new cases of high blood pressure, over 7,900 new cases of high cholesterol, and over 1,000 cases of diabetes.

I am proud that this legislation will play a part in reaching hundreds of thousands of new women in the years to come.

Finally, H.R. 1014 will improve the way we collect and analyze research data. By directing the FDA to collect data about safety and the efficacy of new and investigational drugs and devices according to gender, age, and racial subgroups.

We will help women and their health care providers better understand which course of treatment may yield the best outcome.

Once again, I thank our colleague Congresswoman Cubin, the coalition of supporters, and the Energy and Commerce Committee majority and minority staff.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 1014.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate both of my fine colleagues here and their sponsorship of this great resolution to honor women and, of course, the American Heart Association Go Red for Women Month. It is a very important resolution, and I thank the gentlewoman from California for her leadership in the Women's Caucus, especially in highlighting women's health.

I, too, am very proud to be a sponsor of this legislation. As you know, February is American Heart Month, and now is a great time for all of our Members of Congress, and concerned citizens in our Nation, to focus on how we can live healthier lifestyles, to educate ourselves on what we can do to prevent heart disease and to prevent stroke, and to live the kind of quality of life that we all deserve.

I think it has already been mentioned that heart disease is the number one killer in the United States, and it certainly is a huge problem in the State of Oklahoma. Heart disease afflicts more than one in four Americans, and nearly 80 million in total in our Nation. And for many, it is a deadly disease. Heart disease also kills about two Americans per minute.

And contrary to popular opinion, heart disease is every bit as dangerous for women as it is for men. In the last two decades, more women than men have died from it. In my home State alone, almost 20 women a day die from heart-related illnesses.

Tomorrow, millions of men and women are participating in National Go Red Day. I know I have on black today, and I think all the other ladies have on black, but tomorrow we will be wearing our red. I encourage all of our colleagues here in Congress to wear their red, as well as those around the Nation.

As we wear red tomorrow, we will remind those around us of the importance of fighting this disease. And we can fight this disease by starting just to take some simple precautions: exercising, maintaining healthy eating styles, and refraining of course from habits that are harmful to our health like smoking.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues and all Americans to wear red tomorrow, and to remember the millions of people who suffer with heart disease and to think about what we can do to fight this terrible illness.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleagues Mrs. Capps and Mrs. Cubin for sponsoring H.R. 1014, the Heart Disease Education, Analysis Research and Treatment, or HEART, for Women Act. I lend my strong support for its swift passage both here and on the House floor Heart for Women Act will be a vital step forward in addressing the disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease and stroke between men and women.

Heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases are the number one killer of women, both nationally and in my home state of California. They account for over 30 percent of all female deaths in California, and there are currently approximately 43 million adult women living with one or more forms of heart disease.

These numbers are very telling about the need for this reporting and authorization. But to really understand the importance of this legislation, you must look at how this can affect the lives of any one of those 43 million women living with heart disease today. I personally have seen the effects it can have--the struggles for the individual and the difficulties it can place on a family--through the experiences of a longtime and valued member of my staff But also through her, I have seen the courage displayed by women living with heart disease. They are dedicated to this cause, so that others may have it a little easier than they have. For her and all women living with this disease, this legislation today is a triumph and a testament to their strength.

Thank you again to the bill's sponsors, and I encourage all my colleagues to fully support this extremely important legislation.