Iowa Women Against Heart Disease and Stroke

IOWA WOMEN AGAINST HEART DISEASE AND STROKE

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, today I rise to acknowledge women in Iowa who are taking a stand against heart disease and stroke. Many people assume that cardiovascular disease is a man's disease. The truth is, it has claimed more lives of women since 1984.
Nationwide, 8 million women are living with heart disease. Thirteen percent of women age 45 and over have had a heart attack.

As a survivor of breast cancer, my wife Barbara knows the fears of many women. Heart disease, just like cancer, is scary and real. It is up to women around the world to educate their friends, mothers, and sisters about the disease. Women in Iowa are doing it this week.

I commend every woman in Iowa for being an advocate for a very good cause. The campaign to educate all women about the major risk factors of heart disease and about heart-healthy behavior will positively impact the lives of many families. Women in Iowa should not underestimate their personal risk, and they should know what they can do to beat the disease.

In Congress, I have worked to increase funding for the National Institutes of Health. The NIH is one of the world's foremost medical research centers, and the Federal focal point for medical research in the United States.

I am keenly aware of the overall benefits of biomedical research to the health care system, and to those with heart disease.

In fact, the NIH has set out to develop a national public awareness and outreach campaign to convey the message that heart disease is the number one killer of American women and that it can be successfully prevented and treated.

Six years ago, we set out to double the funding for the NIH. We followed through with our promise. As a result, the NIH now funds nearly 10,000 more research grants and can support the training of over 1,500 more scientists each year.

This is good news for women everywhere. The increase in funding is a step in the right direction, but we can't give up. It will take all of us to stop the leading cause of death in our state.