Statement on Women’s Health Week 2022 from Women’s Health Access Matters (WHAM) Founder and CEO Carolee Lee
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Anna Britt, (540) 808-6963, annabritt@rational360.com
STATEMENT ON WOMEN’S HEALTH WEEK 2022 FROM WOMEN’S HEALTH ACCESS MATTERS (WHAM) FOUNDER AND CEO CAROLEE LEE
Women’s Health Access Matters (WHAM) Founder and CEO Carolee Lee issued the following statement to commemorate Women’s Health Week 2022, May 8th-May 15th:
This Women’s Health Week, I am asking: How is it possible that the percent of research funding focused specifically on women’s health is in the low single digits when women comprise over half our population?
“Women’s health is tied directly to the health and wealth of our country, our workforce, and our economy. Women are over 50% of the population, nearly half the workforce, and the drivers of our economy controlling 60% of personal wealth and 85% of consumer spending decisions. Yet women are disproportionately impacted by deadly diseases, and research about their health is still just a small share of funding. For example, heart disease is the number one killer of women, and just 4.5% of research focuses specifically on women.
“Without comprehensive knowledge of how to diagnose and treat women’s health, we will continue to suffer economic hits. We urgently need to accelerate funding for women’s health research. The WHAM Report shows that women’s health is not just good science, it’s a better investment. Doubling the current research focused on women in just three disease areas, adding $300 million, will yield over $13 billion in economic returns through greater quality of life, economic gains, and reduced healthcare costs. In order to truly celebrate women’s health, we must first invest in it.”
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