President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden hosted the first-ever White House conference on women's health research on Wednesday, showcasing progress in a women's health initiative aimed at closing the gender gap in health care.
Last year, the President and First Lady launched a White House initiative that they said would be the “most comprehensive” effort by any administration to support women's health research. Jill Biden, who leads the initiative, said, “We have invested nearly $1 billion in this research on women's health… and women across this country are paying attention.”
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Earlier this year, the President signed a executive Order To address disparities in women's health research, called for expansion of data collection and prioritizing funding for “those diseases and conditions that affect women uniquely, disproportionately, or differently than men.” Affects.”
The initiative has received funding from federal agencies including the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense to increase research on understudied areas of women's health. The Pentagon is using this funding to study arthritis, cancer and chronic fatigue – all diseases that affect women in the military.
“The truth is, the health of our mothers and grandmothers, sisters and daughters, friends and colleagues impacts not only the well-being of women, but the prosperity of the entire country,” Mr. Biden said.
The Biden administration is trying to advance research on concerns including women's midlife health, menopause, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis and heart disease, the leading cause of death among women.
Jill Biden pointed to a study Mayo Clinic The annual loss in the US based on workdays missed due to menopause symptoms has been estimated at $1.8 billion, presenting the argument that ignoring women's health problems is harming the nation.
“Women should not be sent away from emergency rooms. Women should not be told that their cardiac symptoms They're suffering from stress and anxiety and they need to go home and get some rest,” said panelist Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association.
As Mr Biden's term comes to an end next month, Democrats have expressed concerns over security women's health care During the second Trump administration.
But Trump transition spokeswoman Carolyn Leavitt told CBS News in a statement, “President Trump campaigned on making America healthy again for all Americans, including men, women and children, and he will deliver on that promise.”