Introduction of the Women's Health Office Act

by Carolyn Bosher Maloney

 
             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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