[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 99 (Wednesday, July 26, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7664-S7665]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. THURMOND:
  S. 2925. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to establish 
an Office of Men's Health; to the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions.


                        MEN'S HEALTH ACT OF 2000

  Mr. THURMOND. Mr. President, I am pleased to rise today to introduce 
the Men's Health Act of 2000. This legislation will establish an Office 
of Men's Health within the Department of Health and Human Services to 
monitor, coordinate, and improve men's health in America.
  Mr. President, there is an ongoing, increasing and predominantly 
silent crisis in the health and well-being of men. Due to a lack of 
awareness, poor health education, and culturally induced behavior 
patterns in their work and personal lives, men's health and well-being 
are deteriorating steadily. Heart disease, stroke, and various cancers 
continue to be major areas of concern as we look to enhance the quality 
and duration of men's lives. Improved education and preventive 
screening are imperative to meet this objective.
  Mr. President, as a lifelong advocate of regular medical exams, daily 
exercise and a balanced diet, I feel strongly that an Office of Men's 
Health should be established to help improve the overall health of 
America's male population.
  This legislation is identical to a bill introduced earlier this year 
in the House of Representatives. I invite my colleagues to join me in 
supporting this measure. I ask unanimous consent that a copy of the 
bill appear in the Congressional Record immediately following my 
remarks.
  There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 2925

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

[[Page S7665]]

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Men's Health Act of 2000''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) There is a silent health crisis affecting the health 
     and well-being of America's men.
       (2) This health crisis is of particular concern to men, but 
     is also a concern for women, and especially to those who have 
     fathers, husbands, sons, and brothers.
       (3) Men's health is likewise a concern for employers who 
     lose productive employees as well as pay the costs of medical 
     care, and is a concern to State government and society which 
     absorb the enormous costs of premature death and disability, 
     including the costs of caring for dependents left behind.
       (4) The life expectancy gap between men and women has 
     steadily increased from 1 year in 1920 to 7 years in 1990.
       (5) Almost twice as many men than women die from heart 
     disease, and 28.5 percent of all men die as a result of 
     stroke.
       (6) In 1995, blood pressure of black males was 356 percent 
     higher than that of white males, and the death rate for 
     stroke was 97 percent higher for black males than for white 
     males.
       (7) The incidence of stroke among men is 19 percent higher 
     than for women.
       (8) Significantly more men than women are diagnosed with 
     AIDS each year.
       (9) Fifty percent more men than women die of cancer.
       (10) Although the incidence of depression is higher in 
     women, the rate of life-threatening depression is higher in 
     men, with men representing 80 percent of all suicide cases, 
     and with men 43 times more likely to be admitted to 
     psychiatric hospitals than women.
       (11) Prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed 
     cancer in the United States among men, accounting for 36 
     percent of all cancer cases.
       (12) An estimated 180,000 men will be newly diagnosed with 
     prostate cancer this year alone, of which 37,000 will die.
       (13) Prostate cancer rates increase sharply with age, and 
     more than 75 percent of such cases are diagnosed in men age 
     65 and older.
       (14) The incidence of prostate cancer and the resulting 
     mortality rate in African American men is twice that in white 
     men.
       (15) Studies show that men are at least 25 percent less 
     likely than women to visit a doctor, and are significantly 
     less likely to have regular physician check-ups and obtain 
     preventive screening tests for serious diseases.
       (16) Appropriate use of tests such as prostate specific 
     antigen (PSA) exams and blood pressure, blood sugar, and 
     cholesterol screens, in conjunction with clinical exams and 
     self-testing, can result in the early detection of many 
     problems and in increased survival rates.
       (17) Educating men, their families, and health care 
     providers about the importance of early detection of male 
     health problems can result in reducing rates of mortality for 
     male-specific diseases, as well as improve the health of 
     America's men and its overall economic well-being.
       (18) Recent scientific studies have shown that regular 
     medical exams, preventive screenings, regular exercise, and 
     healthy eating habits can help save lives.
       (19) Establishing an Office of Men's Health is needed to 
     investigate these findings and take such further actions as 
     may be needed to promote men's health.

     SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE MEN'S HEALTH.

       Title XVII of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300u 
     et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following 
     section:


                        ``office of men's health

       ``Sec. 1711. The Secretary shall establish within the 
     Department of Health and Human Services an office to be known 
     as the Office of Men's Health, which shall be headed by a 
     director appointed by the Secretary. The Secretary, acting 
     through the Director of the Office, shall coordinate and 
     promote the status of men's health in the United States.''.
                                 ______