[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 74 (Wednesday, June 14, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1003]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     CELEBRATING MEN'S HEALTH WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. RANDY ``DUKE'' CUNNINGHAM

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 14, 2000

  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, over the past 20 years Congress has 
devoted a great deal of time and money toward addressing the important 
issues facing women's health. We created an Office of Women's Health at 
the NIH and we have taken great strides to increase the number of women 
included in health studies. We have undoubtedly saved hundreds of 
thousands of women's lives, improved the quality of many millions more, 
and we have every reason to be proud.
  However, we must now begin to focus on the crisis in men's health 
too. The simple fact is that every year hundreds of men suffer and die 
needless--and entirely preventable--deaths.
  In 1994, Congress established National Men's Health Week, the week 
leading up to and including Father's Day. Unfortunately, men's health 
is not getting any better.
  I believe it is time for us to establish an Office of Men's Health. 
For that reason, I am introducing legislation today that will establish 
an Office of Men's Health at the Department of Health and Human 
Services to monitor, coordinate and improve men's health in America.
  America needs a concerted effort to combat the problems facing men's 
health. This year, almost 200,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate 
cancer and almost 32,000 of these men will die. Of course, we cannot 
save all these men. Nevertheless, we could save a lot of them. While 
mammograms and Pap smears have dramatically reduced the death rate from 
breast and cervical cancers, the death rate from prostate cancer could 
be reduced by widespread use of a simple test called the PSA, which 
most of us have never heard of.
  I am one of the thousands of men who have been saved by a simple PSA 
test. Just a little over a year ago, I was diagnosed with prostate 
cancer. During my annual examination, my doctor noticed a slight 
elevation in the readings of a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test. 
However, it was only after a prostate biopsy that it was determined 
that I had cancer. Following the diagnosis, with my family, we decided 
that I should go ahead and have surgery. I am fortunate that my cancer 
was detected early, that I had a doctor who was familiar with PSA test 
results, and that I had healthcare coverage for my treatments. In my 
case, and in the cases of thousands of men, early detection and 
treatment have meant the difference between life and death.
  However, prostate cancer is only a small component of the men's 
health crisis: men have a higher death rate than women do for every 
single one of the ten leading causes of death in this country. We're 
twice as likely to die of heart disease--the number one killer--40% 
more likely to die of cancer, and 20% more likely to die of a stroke. 
At the turn of the last century, men and women had equal life 
expectancies. At the turn of this one, women outlive men by 7 years.
  Admittedly, the largest part of the problem is that men do not take 
particularly good care of themselves. Only about half as many men as 
women have a regular physician, for example, and overall, men make 
about a 30% fewer doctor visits every year than women--and that's even 
factoring out women's prenatal visits.
  So if we got men to start going to the doctor will men start living 
longer? Well, it could not hurt. However, in a study published earlier 
this year by the Commonwealth Fund, nearly 70% of men over 40 who 
visited the doctor were not even asked whether they had a family 
history of prostate cancer. Men making less than $50,000 a year were 
even less likely to be asked. And 40% of men over 50--who should be 
getting a prostate exam every single year--were not even screened by 
their doctors. And going to the doctor won't do anything about the fact 
that four times as many men commit suicide as women, that the victims 
of violent crime are 75% male, that 98% of the people who work in the 
most dangerous jobs in this country are men, and that 94% of people who 
die in the workplace are men.
  What can we do about this? First, we can make men's health a public 
priority. Just as we support public service announcements aimed at 
getting women to get regular mammograms and do routine self exams, we 
must support the same kind of campaign to get men to get regular health 
checkups and do routine self exams. Testicular cancer, which is the 
most common cancer in men under 35, is curable if caught early enough. 
In addition, one of the best ways to do that is to teach boys and young 
men to check themselves at least once a month.
  As precious as life is, men--just like women--should have the benefit 
of as much of it as they possibly can. And because they live so much 
longer, women are in the unenviable position of seeing their husbands, 
fathers, and even their sons suffer and die prematurely.
  So this year, as we approach Father's Day, let's spend some time 
figuring out what we can do to help men be better healthcare consumers 
and what we can do to give men the support and encouragement and 
resources they need to be the kind of fathers their kids need them to 
be and that they truly want to be.
  Congress is taking the lead in this endeavor. Over 50 members of 
Congress have joined with me to cosponsor the annual Men's Health 
Screenings being conducted this week by the Men's Health Network. 
Informational brochures are provided by Pfizer Inc, American Cancer 
Society, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Screenings 
are available in the Rayburn First Aid station Tuesday and Wednesday 
and on Thursday in the Hart First Aid station. I encourage my 
colleagues to take this opportunity to be screened for prostate and 
colorectal cancer, diabetes, cholesterol, and other significant health 
indicators.
  I also hope that all my colleagues will help me by supporting my 
legislation to establish an Office of Men's Health.

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