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"Reviewing Hormonal Therapy"Dr. Zerhouni, thank you so very much for those kind words. You are a champion of the kind of quality health care this country needs, and I'm so very pleased that we can work as partners on so many important issues. I also want to thank Dr. Ruth Kirschstein and Dr. Vivian Pinn for their outstanding work in putting this workshop together. Ruth and Vivian, we're all in your debt, and I thank you so very much. It's wonderful to see all of you here today. I always say that I love coming to the NIH campus. You can feel the intensity and the sense of purpose whenever you set foot on the campus grounds. The men and women of the NIH are a truly a national treasure. Your research has meant hope, healing and a new lease on life for countless millions of people, here at home and throughout the world. I want to thank all of you who are involved in the NIH Women's Health Initiative for your careful and compassionate work. You are scientists. You are also wives and daughters, husbands and fathers. You care deeply about those will be affected by your work. I thank you most sincerely for your diligent, dedicated efforts. This meeting is designed to further discussion of research into hormone therapy. As you know, hormone therapy is used by nearly 40 percent of postmenopausal women in the United States. Yet now, serious concerns have been raised about the risks hormone therapy might impose on the health of women. A clinical trial conducted under the auspices of the Women's Health Initiative has forced us to ask important questions. That's why you're here. Hormone therapy has been used for years. It has helped millions of women as they go through the postmenopausal period. But questions have to asked about potentially harmful affects of the treatment. That's why I've asked all of you here today. I've asked for an HHS-wide evaluation of hormone therapy. From AHRQ to the FDA and the NIH, I'm calling on you, the top researchers and scientists in the country, to carefully appraise the existing research and do whatever other research is necessary to find out how hormone therapy does and does not affect women's health. We're here at NIH because NIH will be the lead agency within HHS as we move forward with our investigation. Under the able leadership of Dr. Zerhouni, I'm confident that we'll find the answers the women of our country need and deserve. And once the answers are available, we're going to devise a strategy to communicate them to women and their physicians throughout the country. Women's health is a priority for the Bush Administration. The President and I are passionate about advancing a higher quality of health care for women throughout our country. My wife has been an inspiration to me in this regard. She is a breast cancer survivor and now is head of the Wisconsin Women's Health Foundation. And as the father of two daughters and the grandfather of a baby girl, my commitment to women's health has only deepened over time. In the 20th century we witnessed the most dramatic improvements in women's health in history. The average lifespan for American women increased by more than 30 years. Improvements in treatment, disease prevention, medical training and access to quality, affordable care enabled women of all ages to enjoy a higher quality of life, and longer life, than ever before. But, as this meeting indicates, despite all the welcome news and tremendous breakthroughs, our work is far from complete. To the contrary, much remains to be done. Earlier this month I was in Afghanistan. The health needs of the women of that nation are so great. We're working with the Afghan Ministry of Public Health to establish a maternal health clinic that will be much more than an urgent care facility. It will serve as a training center for the many other Afghan health care professionals in the United States. So, what we do here at this conference, and what we do at HHS more broadly, has a profound affect on women's health here at home and around the world. This meeting is a major step toward advancing the ongoing work of improving women's health, and I applaud you for your deep commitment to helping women enjoy the highest degree of health possible. There can be few missions more noble or more important. Thank you again so very much. Last Revised: October 28, 2002 |
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