I

105TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 832

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for a program of research

and education regarding menopause and related conditions.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

FEBRUARY 25, 1997

Mr. STEARNS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the

Committee on Commerce

A BILL

To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for

a program of research and education regarding menopause and related conditions.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Menopause Outreach,

5 Research, and Education Act of 1997’’.

6 SEC. 2. PROGRAM REGARDING WOMEN’S MIDLIFE HEALTH

7 CARE.

8 Section 445H of the Public Health Service Act (42

9 U.S.C. 285e–10) is amended to read as follows:
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1 MENOPAUSE AND OTHER AGING PROCESSES REGARDING

2 WOMEN; RESEARCH CENTERS

3 ‘‘SEC. 445H. (a) The Director of the Institute, in ad4 dition to other special functions specified in section 444

5 and in cooperation with the Directors of the other national

6 research institutes and agencies of the National Institutes

7 of Health, shall conduct and support research into—

8 ‘‘(1) the aging processes of women, with par9 ticular emphasis given to the effects of menopause

10 and the physiological and behavioral changes occur11 ring during the transition from premenopause to

12 postmenopause; and

13 ‘‘(2) the diagnosis, disorders, and complications

14 related to aging and loss of ovarian hormones in

15 women.

16 ‘‘(b)(1) The Director of the Institute, after consulta17 tion with the industry with the advisory council for the

18 Institute, shall provide for the development of expansion

19 of not less than 5 centers for—

20 ‘‘(A) research on menopause; and

21 ‘‘(B) research on conditions arising from the di22 minished or complete cessation of the functioning of

23 the ovaries, whether occurring naturally or otherwise

24 (which conditions are in this subsection referred to

25 as ‘menopausal health conditions’).
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1 ‘‘(2) Each center assisted under this subsection

2 shall—

3 ‘‘(A) use the facilities of a single institution or

4 a consortium of cooperating institutions, and meet

5 such qualifications as may be prescribed by the Di6 rector of the Institute;

7 ‘‘(B) conduct basic and clinical research into

8 the natural history of menopause in order to im9 prove the state of medical knowledge or methods re10 garding the cause, diagnosis, early detection, preven11 tion, control, and treatment of menopausal health

12 conditions;

13 ‘‘(C) develop multidisciplinary models of health

14 care regarding menopause and menopausal health

15 conditions;

16 ‘‘(D) conduct educational and training pro17 grams on menopause and menopausal health condi18 tions for physicians, scientists, and other health and

19 allied health professionals;

20 ‘‘(E) conduct information and continuing edu21 cation programs for physicians and other health and

22 allied health professionals who provide care for pa23 tients with such conditions; and
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1 ‘‘(F) conduct programs for the dissemination to

2 the general public of information on menopause and

3 menopausal health conditions.

4 ‘‘(3) In carrying out paragraph (2)(B), the Director

5 of the Institute shall ensure that centers assisted under

6 this subsection—

7 ‘‘(A) conduct research on hormonal treatments

8 for menopausal health conditions, research on non9 hormonal treatments of symptoms arising from such

10 conditions, and research on the relationship between

11 such conditions and cardiovascular disease,

12 osteoporosis, bone fractures, bladder conditions,

13 breast and uterine cancers, and other conditions that

14 research indicates may be relevant; and

15 ‘‘(B) conduct research to determine whether

16 and to what extent differences may exist, with re17 spect to menopause and menopausal health condi18 tions, among various socioeconomic groups, ethnic

19 groups, and racial groups.

20 ‘‘(4) In carrying out paragraph (1), the Director of

21 the Institute, in consultation with the Director of NIH

22 and the Administrator for Health Care Policy and Re23 search, shall establish a program to develop protocols for
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1 the prevention and treatment of menopausal health condi2 tions and other conditions regarding women’s midlife

3 health.

4 ‘‘(5) A center may use funds provided under para5 graph (1) to provide stipends for health professionals en6 rolled in educational or training programs described in

7 paragraph (2)(D).

8 ‘‘(6) The Director shall ensure that the activities of

9 centers assisted under this subsection are coordinated

10 among the centers.

11 ‘‘(7) The Director of the Institute shall, to the extent

12 practicable, provide for an equitable geographical distribu13 tion of centers assisted under this subsection.

14 ‘‘(8) Support of a center under this subsection may

15 be for a period of not to exceed five years. Such period

16 may be extended by the Director of the Institute for one

17 or more additional periods of not more than five years if

18 the operations of such center have been reviewed by an

19 appropriate technical and scientific peer review group

20 established by the Director and if such group has

21 recommended to the Director that such period should be

22 extended.’’.

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