[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 140 (Thursday, October 9, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1991-E1992]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF THE WOMEN'S HEALTH INITIATIVE AT 
                       BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEN BENTSEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 9, 1997

  Mr. BENTSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the Women's Health 
Initiative [WHI] at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston as they 
celebrate their third anniversary and build on their landmark research 
on women's health. A vital component of the Texas Medical Center in my 
district, the Women's Health Initiative is one of 40 clinical centers 
across the country taking part in the WHI, the largest ever women's 
health study in the United States.
  Three years ago, the National Institutes of Health awarded Baylor 
College of Medicine a grant of $11.8 million to conduct the largest, 
longest clinical trial in Baylor's history. This study is examining the 
health of more than 5,400 women over a 12-year period, and focuses on 
diseases that are critically important to the health of women: 
cardiovascular diseases, breast cancer, colorectal cancer and

[[Page E1992]]

osteoporosis. Cardiovascular diseases are the leading killer of 
postmenopausal women, and breast cancer is the second killer among 
cancer in women. Colorectal cancer is responsible for at least 4 
percent of the deaths of women aged 50 to 79 and is the third-leading 
killer among cancer in women. Osteoporosis is the condition resulting 
from a weakening of the bone after menopause. The information provided 
by the Women's Health Initiative will lead to breakthrough treatments 
for these diseases and improve the lives of women in Texas and across 
the Nation.
  The Baylor Clinical Center has recruited 3,300 women for an 
observational study to gather information regarding risk factors for 
these diseases. The Baylor Clinical Center will also recruit an 
additional 2,100 women for a clinical trial to research whether diet 
and hormone replacement therapy help women lead healthier lives. 
Information gathered from this clinical study will help women to make 
informed decisions about which therapies to use to prevent disease and 
stay healthy.
  I also want to highlight the efforts of Dr. Jennifer Cousins, 
director for the Center for Women's Health, to bring this critical WHI 
study to the Houston area. I believe Dr. Cousins is critical to the 
success of this study and she should be commended for her hard work.
  I am honored to have worked closely with Dr. Cousins and Baylor 
College of Medicine to expand the WHI's study to ensure even more women 
benefit from their groundbreaking research. I look forward to 
continuing to work with Baylor and the Women's Health Initiative to 
further expand this study and provide more funding for the National 
Institutes of Health [NIH] and the Office of Women's Health, which 
funds this important program.
  Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the Women's Health Initiative at Baylor 
College of Medicine for 3 years of excellence and innovation in 
medicine and wish to congratulate the 2,000 study participants who will 
participate in a birthday party on Thursday, October 23, 1997. I look 
forward to even greater successes as they work to ensure healthier 
lives for women in the 21st century.

                          ____________________