[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11062]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1930
                       NATIONAL MEN'S HEALTH WEEK

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise this evening to thank my colleagues 
for just a few minutes ago passing unanimously H. Con. Res. 138, which 
I introduced recognizing June 9 through 15, 2008, as National Men's 
Health Week.
  The need for this legislation could not be more evident, as far too 
many of our friends, brothers, uncles, cousins, grandfathers and 
fathers die each day from illnesses and diseases that are treatable.
  Despite the advances in medical technology and research, men continue 
to live an average of almost 6 years less than women, and African 
American men have the lowest life expectancy of all groups.
  Further, all of the 10 leading causes of death, as defined by the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, affect men at a higher 
percentage rate than women.
  Men simply are not getting the care they need. Women are 100 percent 
more likely to visit the doctor for an annual examination and to get 
preventive care.
  This happens for a variety of reasons, including fear on the part of 
men, lack of health insurance, a macho attitude, thinking that they 
cannot be harmed, lack of information and cost factors. The disparity 
in men's health has led to increased risk of death from heart disease 
and cancer. But these problems do not only affect men.
  More than one-half of elderly widows now living in poverty were not 
poor before the deaths of their husbands, and by age 100, women 
outnumber men eight to one.
  We simply must get more men the early care and education they need to 
lead long, healthy lives. That is why I sponsored this resolution that 
recognizes June 9 through June 15 as National Men's Health Week. We 
need to educate both the public and health care providers about the 
importance of early detection of male health problems to reduce rates 
of mortality for common diseases.
  Appropriate use of tests such as prostate specific antigen, PSA, 
exams, blood pressure screening, cholesterol screening and in 
conjunction with clinical examination and self-testing for problems 
such as testicular cancer, can result in the detection of many of these 
problems in their early stages. This early detection can lead to 
increases in the survival rates to nearly 100 percent of men.
  National Men's Health Week was established by Congress in 1994. The 
week is designed to encourage men and their families to engage in 
appropriate health behaviors, and the resulting increased awareness has 
improved health-related education and helped prevent illnesses.
  Men who are educated about the value that preventive health can play 
in prolonging their life span and their roles as productive family 
members will be more likely to participate in preventive care.
  By recognizing National Men's Health Week, we bring this very 
important issue to the forefront, encouraging discussion and promoting 
this critical education in early detection.
  I thank Chairman Waxman and Subcommittee Chairman Davis for their 
support, and I appreciate my colleagues voting in favor of this 
resolution.

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