1-1 By: Delisi (Senate Sponsor - Nelson) H.C.R. No. 235 1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House May 7, 2001; 1-3 May 7, 2001, read first time and referred to Committee on Health 1-4 and Human Services; May 11, 2001, reported favorably by the 1-5 following vote: Yeas 7, Nays 0; May 11, 2001, sent to printer.) 1-6 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-7 WHEREAS, The State of Texas recognizes that there are serious 1-8 inequities in the health prevention and treatment of women and 1-9 fully supports all efforts to improve the health status of women in 1-10 this state; and 1-11 WHEREAS, Women are metabolically, hormonally, and 1-12 physiologically different from men, have different patterns of 1-13 health, and suffer from certain diseases at higher rates than men; 1-14 and 1-15 WHEREAS, More than one in five women have some form of 1-16 cardiovascular disease, and one in two women will have an 1-17 osteoporosis-related fracture in her lifetime; and 1-18 WHEREAS, Women are three times more likely to develop 1-19 rheumatoid arthritis and two to three times more likely to suffer 1-20 from depression; and 1-21 WHEREAS, Women are less often referred for diagnostic tests 1-22 and less often treated for heart disease compared to men; and 1-23 WHEREAS, Women who smoke are 20 to 70 percent more likely to 1-24 develop lung cancer and 10 times more likely than men to contract 1-25 HIV during unprotected sex; and 1-26 WHEREAS, Women outnumber men three to one in long-term care 1-27 facilities, are more likely to provide health care to family 1-28 members and make health care decisions, and spend two of every 1-29 three health care dollars; and 1-30 WHEREAS, There is abundant evidence that women are 1-31 undertreated compared to men and underrepresented in health 1-32 research; and 1-33 WHEREAS, There has been some national attention on women's 1-34 health care issues and some legislative activity by the U.S. 1-35 Congress on access issues, but there has been little change in 1-36 vitally important preventive care and treatment issues; and 1-37 WHEREAS, In a recent survey of voters, almost 80 percent of 1-38 women and 60 percent of men favored a women's health care platform 1-39 that supports appropriate care and relevant research and education 1-40 for women; and 1-41 WHEREAS, Nine out of ten people agree that women have the 1-42 right to access quality treatment and the latest technologies and 1-43 appropriate diagnostic tests; and 1-44 WHEREAS, The State of Texas supports equal access to quality 1-45 health care for women, as set out in the women's health platform of 1-46 the Women in Government organization, including efforts to: 1-47 * Provide women equal access to quality health care, 1-48 including state-of-the-art medical advances and 1-49 technology; 1-50 * Increase the number of women covered by comprehensive 1-51 health insurance, including primary and preventive health 1-52 care; 1-53 * Prevent serious health problems by timely diagnosis and 1-54 treatment programs; 1-55 * Promote strategies to increase patient access to 1-56 recommended diagnostic and screening tests, preventive 1-57 health regimens, and recommended treatments; 1-58 * Encourage unimpeded access to women's specialty health 1-59 care providers; 1-60 * Create and promote public/private partnership programs 1-61 designed to improve the scope and quality of women's 1-62 health care; 1-63 * Improve communications between providers and patients; 1-64 * Continue to expand participation of women in clinical 2-1 research trials; 2-2 * Increase government and private research on women's health 2-3 care issues and the differences between men and women and 2-4 how the differences impact quality health care; 2-5 * Conduct more health outcomes research to demonstrate the 2-6 value of women's health care interventions and preventive 2-7 health measures in both the long and short term; 2-8 * Expand medical and nursing school curricula in the area of 2-9 women's health and education on gender biology; 2-10 * Support public education campaigns to increase women's 2-11 awareness about their unique health risks, how to 2-12 negotiate the complexities of today's health care system, 2-13 and how to demand and obtain the best health care 2-14 available; 2-15 * Conduct public health campaigns via state and local 2-16 departments of public health with private sector partners 2-17 to focus on key issues relating to women's preventive 2-18 health concerns; 2-19 * Urge the establishment of permanent offices of women's 2-20 health within state government to raise awareness of 2-21 women's special health care needs and advocate initiatives 2-22 to address them; 2-23 * Foster development and dissemination of publicly available 2-24 information on the quality of health care and health 2-25 outcomes that improves women's ability to choose the best 2-26 women's health care plan; and 2-27 * Expand state screening programs targeted at lower-income 2-28 women to include a full range of known risk factors; now, 2-29 therefore, be it 2-30 RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas 2-31 hereby encourage every state agency, state chartered institution of 2-32 learning, and any recipient of state grants or funding to take 2-33 appropriate action to achieve improved and equal access for women 2-34 to quality health care; and, be it further 2-35 RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas 2-36 hereby commend the Women in Government organization for its 2-37 leadership and dedication in raising awareness of women's health 2-38 issues and advocating improved access to health care for all women. 2-39 * * * * *