Supporting National Men's Health Week

SUPPORTING NATIONAL MEN'S HEALTH WEEK -- (House of Representatives - July 07, 2009)

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I present House Concurrent Resolution 142 for consideration. This resolution expresses our support for the goals and ideals of the annual National Men's Health Week, the observance of which is designed to heighten awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men.

Introduced by my colleague, Mr. Cummings of Maryland, on June 3, 2009, and reported out of the Oversight Committee by unanimous consent on June 18, 2009, H. Con. Resolution 142 enjoys strong bipartisan support.

Mr. Speaker, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nine of 10 of the leading causes of death in America among men, including heart disease and cancer, affect men at a significantly higher percentage than women. In addition, the CDC has reported that women are 100 percent more likely than men to seek annual medical examinations and preventative health care.

Moreover, health statistics also indicate that, despite advances in medical care, men continue to live an average of approximately 6 fewer years than women--with African American men having the lowest life expectancy.

Nonetheless, many male-related health problems, including prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and colon cancer, are treatable upon early detection. Specifically, the use of prostate cancer-specific antigen exams, blood pressure screenings, and other exams, when coupled with clinical examination and self-testing for testicular cancer, can lead to early detection and increase survival rates to nearly 100 percent.

Accordingly, we must do more to encourage healthy behavior and disease prevention within America's male population. A more concentrated focus on male-related health conditions such as prostate, colon, and testicular cancer, along with a genuine commitment to addressing heart health, will go a long way toward ensuring that men have access to critical health information and treatment.

In addition, it's important to remember that prevention and treatment of men's health conditions are critical not only to men, but also to the health and well-being of the American family; and having just recently celebrated Father's Day, I believe that it is important for this legislative body to recognize men's health from a family perspective.

Furthermore, while an effort to encourage prevention and wellness among the male population can help meet our primary goal of improving health outcomes, in aggregate, utilization of these preventive services can lower health costs that currently are spiraling out of control.

Mr. Speaker, since 1994, National Men's Health Week has served as a catalyst for increased attention towards men's health issues. I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting House Concurrent Resolution 142, recognizing the tremendous importance of these efforts.

I reserve the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source