[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 9352]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                VETERAN CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE AWARENESS

  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, as chairman of the Senate Committee on 
Veterans' Affairs, I would like to take a moment to recognize the 
Department of Veterans Affairs and the American Heart Association for 
their work to raise awareness about the dangers of cardiovascular 
disease amongst our Nation's women veterans and service members.
  VA's dedicated work on cardiovascular disease has successfully 
decreased the gaps between men and women veterans in heart disease 
prevention outcomes. However, as cardiovascular disease remains the No. 
1 killer of women, I applaud VA and the American Heart Association's 
``Go Red for Women'' campaign for partnering under the First Lady's 
Joining Forces Initiative to raise awareness and promote prevention 
amongst our Nation's female veterans. I am pleased to see VA focus its 
efforts on educating women veterans through an online fitness and 
nutrition program and an online support network to connect women with 
other women who share similar experiences.
  Today, women serve in every branch of the military. Women represent 
15 percent of our Nation's Active-Duty military, and they are the 
fastest growing population within the veteran community. The number of 
women veterans is expected to increase to 2 million in 2020 and with 
this projected increase it is critical that VA remain responsive to the 
unique needs of women.
  Nearly one in two women, 44.4 percent, will die of heart disease and 
stroke. We must ensure that women receive equal access to VA health 
care benefits and services. This partnership between VA and the 
American Heart Association is a great step toward ensuring that women 
are educated on the dangers of cardiovascular disease and provided with 
the resources necessary to prevent it.
  Mr. President, I applaud the collaboration between VA and the 
American Heart Association to raise awareness and increase prevention 
efforts on an issue that affects so many of our Nation's women veterans 
and civilian women throughout our country.

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