[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 18 (Thursday, February 2, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H886]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION--GO RED FOR WOMEN CAMPAIGN
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from
Ohio (Mrs. Beatty) for 5 minutes.
Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to support American Heart
Association's Go Red for Women campaign.
The Go Red for Women campaign is an incredible public awareness
initiative, spearheaded by the American Heart Association to promote
heart-healthy lifestyles.
We have great results. Since Go Red for Women started in 2004, more
than 627,000 women's lives have been saved, and I am so proud that I
was an initiator and supporter of Go Red for Women in my great State of
Ohio in the capital city of Columbus.
Yes, we have made great progress, Mr. Speaker, but we still have a
long way to go in helping to prevent cardiovascular disease, including
stroke.
Cardiovascular diseases claim more lives each year than all forms of
cancer combined, and it is just not women, Mr. Speaker. That includes
men, also. However, women do have a higher risk of stroke than their
male counterparts.
In fact, 90 percent of all women have one or more risk factors for
developing heart disease. Collectively, cardiovascular disease and
stroke cause one in three women's death each year, killing
approximately one woman every minute.
{time} 1045
Yet, even with these eye-catching statistics, according to the
American Heart Association, almost half of all the women, Mr. Speaker,
are not aware of heart disease, and that it is the leading cause of
death for women.
For African American women like me, the risk of heart disease is far
greater. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for
African American women, killing almost 50,000 annually. Of African
American women ages 20 and older, 49 percent have heart disease, but
only 1 in 5 African American women believe they are personally at risk.
Mr. Speaker, I was one of them. I suffered a cerebral brain stem
stroke in 1999. But after my personal experience, I decided to do
something about it. I decided to get more engaged, and I am so proud to
say that I was appointed to serve on the American Heart Association
Board, and at that time, I was the only non-healthcare professional or
cardiovascular physician on the board.
That is why, Mr. Speaker, when I came to Congress, I decided that I
would be engaged, and I became the co-chair of the Congressional Heart
and Stroke Coalition, where my colleagues and I work very hard to raise
the awareness about the prevalence and the severity of cardiovascular
disease.
Last Congress, Mr. Speaker, I introduced the Return to Work Awareness
Act, which would assist survivors of stroke and other debilitating
health occurrences to be able to return to work.
Mr. Speaker, I will always be an active participant in education and
awareness. I will reintroduce that important piece of legislation this
month, during American Heart Month, and I invite all my colleagues,
Democrat and Republican, to join me in sponsoring this piece of
legislation.
This month, as we celebrate American Heart Month, let us recommit
ourselves to becoming more educated about cardiovascular diseases,
improving our heart health, and continuing to fight against this
devastating disease.
Today, Mr. Speaker, I want the Nation to know that women will stand
on the Capitol steps, and we will have our photo taken, all dressed in
red, because we want to stand united to help educate this Nation, that
if we stand together, maybe, just maybe, we can send a strong signal to
America that we can fight against this disease.
I want to personally thank Nancy Brown for allowing me to serve with
her on the Board, and welcome the new CEO, Steven Houser, and so many
of the volunteers across this Nation and the leaders because we know,
Mr. Speaker, that we need to recognize all Americans who are battling
heart disease and express gratitude to all of them.
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