[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 71 (Thursday, June 4, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5658-S5659]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RELEASE OF ``UNDER THE RUG: SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND THE MATURE WOMAN''

 Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, today I joined former First Lady 
Betty Ford, former HEW Secretary Joe Califano, and Congresswoman Nancy 
Johnson to release the first national, comprehensive study of the abuse 
of alcohol, cigarettes, and psychoactive prescription drugs by women 
over age 59. The study found that in 1998, substance abuse by mature 
women will trigger more than $30 billion in health costs--$10.1 billion 
in inpatient hospital bills, $12.2 billion in nursing home bills, and 
$7.7 billion for physician services and home health care.
  I would like to pay a special tribute to Mrs. Ford. Her courage and 
her gallantry has given hope to others who have faced similar if not 
identical problems. By speaking out and by facing her own problems with 
the love and support of her family, she gave those who have less power, 
or maybe less love, the strength to do what she did. Mrs. Ford, Liz 
Taylor, Ann Richards, I think we really owe a debt of gratitude to 
them, and we owe a debt to every well-known woman in our society who 
has been willing to step forward, speak up and speak out about the 
dangers of older women and substance abuse.
  I'd also like to pay tribute to President Ford for the courage to 
organize a family intervention. Thank you for showing us that when a 
man really loves a woman, sometimes you need tough love. If Mrs. Ford 
had had a heart attack, Mr. Ford would have been the first one there 
with CPR. His intervention was the CPR of substance abuse.
  Today's findings address a problem hidden in the shadow for too long. 
Mature women who struggle with depression and loneliness and fight them 
with drugs and alcohol today know they are not alone. This study shines 
the bright light of research and knowledge to take this problem out of 
the shadows.

[[Page S5659]]

  It is the first step to help mature women get help from doctors, from 
family, and from friends. It is the first step to help grown men and 
women identify the warning signs of addiction, not just with their own 
kids, but with their parents. It is startling and troubling that mature 
women are more likely to be hospitalized for substance abuse than for 
heart attacks.
  In Maryland in 1996, 285 mature women sought help for substance abuse 
in certified treatment centers, 230 in 1997. Thousands more are too 
scared, too sick, or too alone to seek out care they need. This study 
can help them. And it can help America.
  I have been a life-long fighter for mature Americans. I believe 
``honor your mother and father'' is not just a good commandment, it's 
good public policy. That's why I am such a big supporter of research 
like today's study. This study not only highlights a big problem, it 
highlights opportunities to make good public policy.
  If we can end substance abuse among the elderly, we can lower 
financial costs for Medicaid and Medicare. More importantly, we can 
lower the emotional cost to women and families. We can't let a blanket 
of shame and denial blind us to problems that we can and should solve.
  I support more research to help protect seniors from scams, from 
poverty, and from threats to their health. I send thanks to Bristol-
Myers Squibb and to the National Center on Addiction and Substance 
Abuse for revealing this troubling problem and helping to create 
solutions.
  Today's research, which focuses on women and seniors, is one big 
reason I am a big supporter of NIH. Women's health has made great 
headway with NIH. In 1990, Congresswomen Connie Morella, Pat Schroeder 
and I showed up on the steps at NIH to launch what we hoped would be a 
women's health initiative. Through our efforts, the Office of Women's 
Health Research was established so that women would no longer be left 
out of clinical trials and research protocols. I am pleased that we are 
now seeing more and better research on women's health.
  I am sending this report to Dr. Varmus, Director of NIH with my 
endorsement and with my request that NIH expand its research on alcohol 
and drug abuse by mature women. Today's study is a shining example of 
what can get done with attention and money and more women in the House 
and Senate.
  I would ask all my colleagues, men and women, Democrat and 
Republican, House and Senate, to read the executive summary of ``Under 
the Rug: Substance Abuse and the Mature Woman'', which I will send to 
them. We shouldn't play politics with women's lives, and we shouldn't 
play politics with the lives of the mature women and their families who 
are trying to cope with the terrible problems of substance abuse.

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