Washington, D.C. – This week, U.S. Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) have introduced a resolution in the U.S. Senate recognizing National Women’s Health Week. This year, May 13-19 has been designated National Women’s Health Week (NWHW), a national effort to raise awareness about steps women can take to improve their health including the importance of incorporating simple preventive and positive health behaviors into everyday life. Last year, Feingold and Snowe led efforts to pass the first congressional resolution supporting National Women’s Health Week. Last week, a concurrent resolution was introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Rep. Capps, and Rep. Mary Bono (R-CA).

"National Women's Health Week plays an important role in increasing awareness of healthy lifestyle choices and preventative actions that can help women live longer, healthier lives," Feingold said. "I am pleased to join my colleagues in support of this resolution recognizing National Women's Health Week again this year.”

"National Women's Health Week provides a great opportunity to place the spotlight on women's health and the critical need to further promote health initiatives for all women. In the halls of Congress, we can support this cause by offering adequate health care and appropriate medical treatment that is geared toward the specific needs of a woman's body. I look forward to joining all Americans next week in marking the progress we have made and setting the standards for what we can do in the future to better women's health care," said Snowe.

"National Women's Health Week serves as a great opportunity to increase education among all women on how to commit themselves to living healthy lives and getting the preventive screenings that will help protect them from various diseases. This resolution will allow the U.S. Congress to express its support for National Women's Health Week and help raise awareness about the need for women to eat well, exercise, and see their doctors for regular checkups so that they live long and healthy lives," said Hinchey

"National Women's Health Week raises much needed awareness about the unique aspects of women's health. For too long health care research, prevention, and treatment efforts focused exclusively on the needs of men's health, to the detriment of women's health care needs. Today we recognize that women's health care needs are unique, but more must be done to reach parity in the resources dedicated to women's health care," said Capps, a nurse and member of the House Subcommittee on Health, and author of the HEART for Women Act.

"Nothing should stand in the way of efforts to educate American women on the importance of good health. The continuing rise in reported diseases affecting women indicates that more outreach needs to be done. National Women's Health Week is an opportunity for all of us to recognize that need and show our commitment to improving the health of mothers and daughters across the nation," said Bono.

The resolution is endorsed by the National Council of Women’s Organizations, a nonpartisan, nonprofit umbrella organization of groups that collectively represent over ten million women across the United States.