[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 107 (Thursday, July 16, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1819]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             INTRODUCTION OF THE WOMEN'S HEALTH OFFICE ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 16, 2009

  Mrs. MALONEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today along with Representative 
Chris Murphy and Representative Tammy Baldwin to introduce the Women's 
Health Office Act. This critical bill which will help close the serious 
gaps in health care for women, by providing statutory authorization for 
the offices of women's health in five federal agencies which currently 
are not protected by law.
  Many people are shocked when they learn that women were excluded from 
most medical research studies until 1985. That means it has been just 
24 years since we began to understand that women are more prone to 
ailments like osteoporosis, lupus, and depression. Just recently in 
2004, we learned that women who were treated in emergency rooms were 
less likely than men to receive life-saving medications for heart 
attacks because doctors did not fully understand the different symptoms 
of a heart attack in women.
  How much do we still not know?
  For years, the offices of women's health in key federal health 
agencies have been conducting vital research to identify disparities in 
women's health care, and spearheading innovative programs to close 
those gaps. However, only two of those offices are federally authorized 
and protected by law: the Office of Research on Women's Health at the 
National Institutes of Health, and the Office for Women's Services at 
the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
  This bill will give permanent authorization to the federal offices 
located in the Department of Health and Human Services, the Agency for 
Healthcare Research and Quality, the Health Resources and Services 
Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the 
Food and Drug Administration. Without it, those five offices will 
always be vulnerable to understaffing, underfunding, or complete 
elimination.
  Recent initiatives like the establishment of the White House Council 
on Women and Girls shows that we're finally starting to get it--women 
have unique experiences, needs, and interests, and these need to be 
considered and addressed. In no area of public policy is this more true 
than with health care. I urge my colleagues to support the Women's 
Health Office Act, to put those offices of women's health on a secure 
footing and give women the kind of health care they need and deserve.

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