[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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