[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 25, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1556-S1557]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. BOXER (for herself, Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Hollings):
  S. 349. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for 
expanding, intensifying, and coordinating activities of the National 
Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute with respect to heart attack, stroke, 
and other cardiovascular diseases in women; to the Committee on Labor 
and Human Resources.


    THE WOMEN'S CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES RESEARCH AND PREVENTION ACT

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Women's 
Cardiovascular Diseases Research and Prevention Act, a bill to expand 
and intensify research and educational outreach programs regarding 
cardiovascular diseases in women. This bill will aid our Nation's 
doctors and scientists in developing a coordinated and comprehensive 
strategy for fighting this terrible disease.

[[Page S1557]]

  Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the United 
States. Over 479,000 women die from cardiovascular disease each year 
and 1 in 5 women has some form of the disease. Research is our best 
hope for averting this national tragedy which strikes so many of our 
grandmothers, mothers, aunts, and daughters.
  The Women's Cardiovascular Diseases Research and Prevention Act 
authorizes $140 million to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute 
to expand and intensify research, prevention, and educational outreach 
programs for heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases in 
women.
  This bill will educate women and doctors about the dire threat heart 
disease poses to women's health. It will help train doctors to better 
recognize symptoms of cardiovascular disease which are unique to women. 
It would also teach women about risk factors, such as smoking, obesity, 
and physical inactivity, which greatly increase their chances of 
developing coronary heart disease.
  For years, women have been under-represented in studies conducted on 
heart disease and stroke. Models and tests for detection have been 
conducted largely on men. This legislation will help ensure that women 
are well represented in future heart and stroke research studies.
  The Women's Cardiovascular Diseases Research and Prevention Act is 
being introduced in the House today by Representative Maxine Waters.
  I urge my colleagues to commit to combating cardiovascular disease by 
supporting this bill.
  I ask unanimous consent that the full text of the bill be printed in 
the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                 S. 349

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Women's Cardiovascular 
     Diseases Research and Prevention Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       The Congress finds as follows with respect to women in the 
     United States:
       (1) Heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases 
     are the leading causes of death in women.
       (2) Heart attacks and strokes are leading causes of 
     disability in women.
       (3) Cardiovascular diseases claim the lives of more women 
     each year than does cancer. Each year more than 479,000 
     females die of cardiovascular diseases, while approximately 
     246,000 females die of cancer. Heart attack kills more than 5 
     times as many females as breast cancer. Stroke kills twice as 
     many females as breast cancer.
       (4) One in 5 females has some form of cardiovascular 
     disease. Of females under age 65, each year more than 20,000 
     die of heart attacks. In the case of African-American women, 
     from ages 35 to 74 the death rate from heart attacks is 
     approximately twice that of white women and 3 times that of 
     women of other races.
       (5) Each year since 1984, cardiovascular diseases have 
     claimed the lives of more females than males. In 1992, of the 
     number of individuals who died of such diseases, 52 percent 
     were females and 48 percent were males.
       (6) The clinical course of cardiovascular diseases is 
     different in women than in men, and current diagnostic 
     capabilities are less accurate in women than in men. Once a 
     woman develops a cardiovascular disease, she is more likely 
     than a man to have continuing health problems, and she is 
     more likely to die.
       (7) Of women who have had a heart attack, approximately 44 
     percent die within 1 year of the attack. Of men who have had 
     such an attack, 27 percent die within 1 year. At older ages, 
     women who have had a heart attack are twice as likely as men 
     to die from the attack within a few weeks. Women are more 
     likely than men to have a stroke during the first 6 years 
     following a heart attack. More than 60 percent of women who 
     suffer a stroke die within 8 years. Long-term survivorship of 
     stroke is better in women than in men. Of individuals who die 
     from a stroke, each year approximately 61 percent are 
     females. In 1992, 87,124 females died from strokes. Women 
     have unrecognized heart attacks more frequently than men. Of 
     women who died suddenly from heart attack, 63 percent had no 
     previous evidence of disease.
       (8) More than half of the annual health care costs that are 
     related to cardiovascular diseases are attributable to the 
     occurrence of the diseases in women, each year costing this 
     Nation hundreds of billions of dollars in health care costs 
     and lost productivity.

     SEC. 3. EXPANSION AND INTENSIFICATION OF ACTIVITIES REGARDING 
                   HEART ATTACK, STROKE, AND OTHER CARDIOVASCULAR 
                   DISEASES IN WOMEN.

       Subpart 2 of part C of title IV of the Public Health 
     Service Act (42 U.S.C. 285b et seq.) is amended by inserting 
     after section 424 the following:


   ``heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases in women

       ``Sec. 424A. (a) In General.--The Director of the Institute 
     shall expand, intensify, and coordinate research and related 
     activities of the Institute with respect to heart attack, 
     stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases in women.
       ``(b) Coordination With Other Institutes.--The Director of 
     the Institute shall coordinate activities under subsection 
     (a) with similar activities conducted by the other national 
     research institutes and agencies of the National Institutes 
     of Health to the extent that such Institutes and agencies 
     have responsibilities that are related to heart attack, 
     stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases in women.
       ``(c) Certain Programs.--In carrying out subsection (a), 
     the Director of the Institute shall conduct or support 
     research to expand the understanding of the causes of, and to 
     develop methods for preventing, cardiovascular diseases in 
     women. Activities under such subsection shall include 
     conducting and supporting the following:
       ``(1) Research to determine the reasons underlying the 
     prevalence of heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular 
     diseases in women, including African-American women and other 
     women who are members of racial or ethnic minority groups.
       ``(2) Basic research concerning the etiology and causes of 
     cardiovascular diseases in women.
       ``(3) Epidemiological studies to address the frequency and 
     natural history of such diseases and the differences among 
     men and women, and among racial and ethnic groups, with 
     respect to such diseases.
       ``(4) The development of safe, efficient, and cost-
     effective diagnostic approaches to evaluating women with 
     suspected ischemic heart disease.
       ``(5) Clinical research for the development and evaluation 
     of new treatments for women, including rehabilitation.
       ``(6) Studies to gain a better understanding of methods of 
     preventing cardiovascular diseases in women, including 
     applications of effective methods for the control of blood 
     pressure, lipids, and obesity.
       ``(7) Information and education programs for patients and 
     health care providers on risk factors associated with heart 
     attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases in women, 
     and on the importance of the prevention or control of such 
     risk factors and timely referral with appropriate diagnosis 
     and treatment. Such programs shall include information and 
     education on health-related behaviors that can improve such 
     important risk factors as smoking, obesity, high blood 
     cholesterol, and lack of exercise.
       ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of 
     carrying out this section, there is authorized to be 
     appropriated $140,000,000 for fiscal year 1998, and such sums 
     as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 1999 to 
     2000. The authorization of appropriations established in the 
     preceding sentence is in addition to any other authorization 
     of appropriations that is available for such 
     purpose.''.
                                 ______