Proclaim Women's Health Week

Senate Resolution No. 3532 BY: Senator HANNON MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim May 13-19, 2018, as Women's Health Week in the State of New York, in conjunction with the observance of National Women's Health Week WHEREAS, Women's Health Week celebrates the extraordinary progress in women's health and recognizes that more needs to be done to safeguard the health of women for generations to come; and WHEREAS, National Women's Health Week was initiated in May 2000 by a coalition of public and private organizations dedicated to raising awareness of women's health issues, with the focus on the importance of incorporating simple preventive and positive health behaviors into everyday life; it is now celebrated in the spring, beginning on Mother's Day; and WHEREAS, National Women's Health Week is a weeklong health observance coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office on Women's Health; and WHEREAS, National Women's Health Week empowers women to make their health a top priority; it also encourages women to take steps to improve their physical and mental health and lower their risks of certain diseases; and WHEREAS, In addition, the 16th Annual National Women's Checkup Day will be held on Monday, May 14, 2018, during National Women's Health Week; and WHEREAS, National Women's Checkup Day is dedicated to encouraging women to visit their health care professionals to receive or schedule checkups, and to promote regular checkups as vital to the early detection of diseases, illnesses, infections, and other conditions; and WHEREAS, Many of the leading causes of death among women, such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes, can be successfully prevented or treated if the warning signs are caught early enough; and WHEREAS, Heart disease is the number one killer of American women; often thought of as a man's disease, more women die of heart disease each year than do men; and WHEREAS, To help prevent heart disease and stroke, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has developed three heart healthy eating plans: 1) A Heart Healthy Diet; 2) A Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) Diet; and 3) The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH); and WHEREAS, Cancer is the second leading cause of death of American women; lung cancer is the top cancer killer among American women, followed by breast cancer and colorectal cancer; and WHEREAS, Breast cancer affects 1 in 8 women during their lives, and it is the second leading cancer killer of women in the United States, next to lung cancer; like other cancers, breast cancer often can be found early, when the chance of successful treatment is best; in fact, many women are even cured of the disease; and WHEREAS, All women should get regular periodic testing for cancer and other diseases; and WHEREAS, Stroke is the fourth most common killer of American women; each year, 30,000 more women than men have strokes; and WHEREAS, Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in women; an estimated 17 million Americans have diabetes, 8.1 million women, of whom an estimated 6 million are undiagnosed; and WHEREAS, Good mental health is an important part of a woman's overall well-being; factors such as alcoholism, anxiety disorders, depression, eating disorders, and bipolar disorder (manic depressive conditions) are all issues of concern for women; and WHEREAS, Keeping women healthy and safe and promoting awareness of women's health issues depend on partnerships with social, health and other services; and WHEREAS, Women can promote health and prevent disease and illness by taking simple steps to improve their physical, mental, social and spiritual health; and WHEREAS, Women's health remains a priority for families, communities and government, and our commitment to keeping women healthy is stronger than ever; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim May 13-19, 2018, as Women's Health Week in the State of New York, in conjunction with the observance of National Women's Health Week; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New York.