New State Office Would Focus on Women’s Health
New legislation would create a state Office of Women's Health, focused on increasing preventive care and encouraging healthy lifestyles for women.
House Bill 2115 was introduced in the state House of Representatives by Rep. Bryan R. Lentz (D-Delaware) in December 2007. Similar legislation, Senate Bill 39, was introduced in the state Senate by Sen. Connie Williams (D-Delaware) in February 2007.
The office would be a clearinghouse for information, data, strategies, services, and programs on a range of issues affecting women, including mental health, reproductive health, substance abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence.
Lentz said women have unique health care needs and concerns. According to the Society for Women’s Health Research, women are nearly three times more likely than men to suffer from an autoimmune disease, such as lupus and multiple sclerosis, and two to three times more likely to suffer from depression, Women experience different symptoms of cardiovascular disease, which has claimed more women than men each year since 1984.
Last Updated: 2/4/2008