HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, The State of Texas recognizes that there are serious 1-2 inequities in the health prevention and treatment of women and 1-3 fully supports all efforts to improve the health status of women in 1-4 this state; and 1-5 WHEREAS, Women are metabolically, hormonally, and 1-6 physiologically different from men, have different patterns of 1-7 health, and suffer from certain diseases at higher rates than men; 1-8 and 1-9 WHEREAS, More than one in five women have some form of 1-10 cardiovascular disease, and one in two women will have an 1-11 osteoporosis-related fracture in her lifetime; and 1-12 WHEREAS, Women are three times more likely to develop 1-13 rheumatoid arthritis and two to three times more likely to suffer 1-14 from depression; and 1-15 WHEREAS, Women are less often referred for diagnostic tests 1-16 and less often treated for heart disease compared to men; and 1-17 WHEREAS, Women who smoke are 20 to 70 percent more likely to 1-18 develop lung cancer and 10 times more likely than men to contract 1-19 HIV during unprotected sex; and 1-20 WHEREAS, Women outnumber men three to one in long-term care 1-21 facilities, are more likely to provide health care to family 1-22 members and make health care decisions, and spend two of every 1-23 three health care dollars; and 1-24 WHEREAS, There is abundant evidence that women are 2-1 undertreated compared to men and underrepresented in health 2-2 research; and 2-3 WHEREAS, There has been some national attention on women's 2-4 health care issues and some legislative activity by the U.S. 2-5 Congress on access issues, but there has been little change in 2-6 vitally important preventive care and treatment issues; and 2-7 WHEREAS, In a recent survey of voters, almost 80 percent of 2-8 women and 60 percent of men favored a women's health care platform 2-9 that supports appropriate care and relevant research and education 2-10 for women; and 2-11 WHEREAS, Nine out of ten people agree that women have the 2-12 right to access quality treatment and the latest technologies and 2-13 appropriate diagnostic tests; and 2-14 WHEREAS, The State of Texas supports equal access to quality 2-15 health care for women, as set out in the women's health platform of 2-16 the Women in Government organization, including efforts to: 2-17 * Provide women equal access to quality health care, 2-18 including state-of-the-art medical advances and 2-19 technology; 2-20 * Increase the number of women covered by comprehensive 2-21 health insurance, including primary and preventive health 2-22 care; 2-23 * Prevent serious health problems by timely diagnosis and 2-24 treatment programs; 2-25 * Promote strategies to increase patient access to 2-26 recommended diagnostic and screening tests, preventive 2-27 health regimens, and recommended treatments; 3-1 * Encourage unimpeded access to women's specialty health 3-2 care providers; 3-3 * Create and promote public/private partnership programs 3-4 designed to improve the scope and quality of women's 3-5 health care; 3-6 * Improve communications between providers and patients; 3-7 * Continue to expand participation of women in clinical 3-8 research trials; 3-9 * Increase government and private research on women's health 3-10 care issues and the differences between men and women and 3-11 how the differences impact quality health care; 3-12 * Conduct more health outcomes research to demonstrate the 3-13 value of women's health care interventions and preventive 3-14 health measures in both the long and short term; 3-15 * Expand medical and nursing school curricula in the area of 3-16 women's health and education on gender biology; 3-17 * Support public education campaigns to increase women's 3-18 awareness about their unique health risks, how to 3-19 negotiate the complexities of today's health care system, 3-20 and how to demand and obtain the best health care 3-21 available; 3-22 * Conduct public health campaigns via state and local 3-23 departments of public health with private sector partners 3-24 to focus on key issues relating to women's preventive 3-25 health concerns; 3-26 * Urge the establishment of permanent offices of women's 3-27 health within state government to raise awareness of 4-1 women's special health care needs and advocate initiatives 4-2 to address them; 4-3 * Foster development and dissemination of publicly available 4-4 information on the quality of health care and health 4-5 outcomes that improves women's ability to choose the best 4-6 women's health care plan; and 4-7 * Expand state screening programs targeted at lower-income 4-8 women to include a full range of known risk factors; now, 4-9 therefore, be it 4-10 RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas 4-11 hereby encourage every state agency, state chartered institution of 4-12 learning, and any recipient of state grants or funding to take 4-13 appropriate action to achieve improved and equal access for women 4-14 to quality health care; and, be it further 4-15 RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas 4-16 hereby commend the Women in Government organization for its 4-17 leadership and dedication in raising awareness of women's health 4-18 issues and advocating improved access to health care for all women. Delisi _______________________________ _______________________________ President of the Senate Speaker of the House I certify that H.C.R. No. 235 was adopted by the House on May 5, 2001, by a non-record vote. _______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House I certify that H.C.R. No. 235 was adopted by the Senate on May 23, 2001, by a viva-voce vote. _______________________________ Secretary of the Senate APPROVED: __________________________ Date __________________________ Governor