[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 21 (Friday, February 17, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E181]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   COMMEMORATING NATIONAL HEART MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                    HON. JUANITA MILLENDER-McDONALD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 16, 2006

  Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, heart disease and stroke, the 
largest threats to women's lives are largely preventable.
  Prevention is easy: eating a healthy diet, exercising frequently, 
refraining from smoking, and maintaining weight, cholesterol and blood 
pressure are all ways that women can protect themselves against heart 
disease and stroke which kill 1 in 2.4 women annually.
  But most women in the United States do not know that they are at a 
higher risk for deadly heart attacks, hypertension, and strokes than 
they are for any other disease.
  According to an American Heart Association survey, only 57 percent of 
American women know that heart disease is the leading killer of women. 
The women who have yet to learn of these deadly diseases are the women 
who are at the greatest risk.
  Only 38 percent of African-American women and 42 percent of Latina 
women know about the dangers posed by heart disease and stroke.
  All women need this knowledge. They need to know that they are at 
risk and they need to know there is a causal connection between the 
lifestyle choices they make and their personal risk for death by heart 
disease and stroke.
  That is why I am here to announce my firm commitment to National 
Heart Month and that is why I co-sponsor forward thinking legislation 
like the HEART for Women Act that will contribute to heightened 
awareness.
  Efforts like National Heart Month, the American Heart Association's 
``Go Red for Women'' initiative, and the National Institutes of 
Health's ``The Heart Truth'' awareness campaign all contribute to a 
greater awareness among women about the dangers posed by heart disease 
and stroke.
  The more women know about how their everyday choices affect their 
long-term health, the better those choices will be. This information is 
a part of a national movement that will save women's lives.
  We must do our part to ensure that every woman in our communities, 
especially the ones who are at the greatest risk, is touched by these 
campaigns. We encourage all women to visit their doctors and talk about 
the many positive steps they can take towards heart disease prevention.
  Knowledge is power and we need to ensure that outreach efforts are 
made to African-American and Latina communities so that they can share 
in this power.
  National Heart Month is timely, it is necessary, and the information 
it seeks to impart is a matter of life and death.

                          ____________________