Senate Resolution No. 1575

BY: Senator HANNON

MEMORIALIZING Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim
May 14 - 20, 2017, 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 15th Annual National Women's Checkup Day
will be held on Monday, May 15, 2017, 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, Diet affects the risk for having heart disease and poor
blood circulation, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke; 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, Regular activity can help prevent unhealthy weight gain and
also help with weight loss, when combined with lower calorie intake; it

can also improve cardiorespiratory (heart, lungs, and blood vessels) and
muscular fitness; for older adults, activity can improve mental
function; 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, Diabetes can be controlled by maintaining a healthy diet,
exercising, and using FDA-approved medicines, insulin, and devices every
day; 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 14 - 20, 2017, 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.