Commemorating National Heart Month

COMMEMORATING NATIONAL HEART MONTH -- (Extensions of Remarks - February 17, 2006)

SPEECH OF
HON. JUANITA MILLENDER-McDONALD
OF CALIFORNIA
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2006

* Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, heart disease and stroke, the largest threats to women's lives are largely preventable.

* Prevention is easy: eating a healthy diet, exercising frequently, refraining from smoking, and maintaining weight, cholesterol and blood pressure are all ways that women can protect themselves against heart disease and stroke which kill 1 in 2.4 women annually.

* But most women in the United States do not know that they are at a higher risk for deadly heart attacks, hypertension, and strokes than they are for any other disease.

* According to an American Heart Association survey, only 57 percent of American women know that heart disease is the leading killer of women. The women who have yet to learn of these deadly diseases are the women who are at the greatest risk.

* Only 38 percent of African-American women and 42 percent of Latina women know about the dangers posed by heart disease and stroke.

* All women need this knowledge. They need to know that they are at risk and they need to know there is a causal connection between the lifestyle choices they make and their personal risk for death by heart disease and stroke.

* That is why I am here to announce my firm commitment to National Heart Month and that is why I co-sponsor forward thinking legislation like the HEART for Women Act that will contribute to heightened awareness.

* Efforts like National Heart Month, the American Heart Association's ``Go Red for Women'' initiative, and the National Institutes of Health's ``The Heart Truth'' awareness campaign all contribute to a greater awareness among women about the dangers posed by heart disease and stroke.

* The more women know about how their everyday choices affect their long-term health, the better those choices will be. This information is a part of a national movement that will save women's lives.

* We must do our part to ensure that every woman in our communities, especially the ones who are at the greatest risk, is touched by these campaigns. We encourage all women to visit their doctors and talk about the many positive steps they can take towards heart disease prevention.

* Knowledge is power and we need to ensure that outreach efforts are made to African-American and Latina communities so that they can share in this power.

* National Heart Month is timely, it is necessary, and the information it seeks to impart is a matter of life and death.

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