Ovarian and Cervical Cancer Awareness Act of 2017

Bill: 115-hr-3807
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Velazquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-7]
Introduced: 2017-09-18
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Cancer

Health care coverage and access

Health promotion and preventive care

Medical tests and diagnostic methods

Sex and reproductive health

Women's health
Latest action: action_date: 2017-09-22
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

Summaries:
action_date: 2017-09-18
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Ovarian and Cervical Cancer Awareness Act of 2017</strong></p> <p>This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to specifically include ovarian and cervical cancers in the Department of Health and Human Services' national awareness campaign about gynecologic cancers. The campaign must include public service announcements targeting low-income women.</p>

tv_txt: I 115th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 3807 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 18, 2017 Ms. Velázquez introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for activities to increase the awareness and knowledge of health care providers and women with respect to ovarian and cervical cancer, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Ovarian and Cervical Cancer Awareness Act of 2017 . 2. Findings The Congress finds as follows: (1) Ovarian and cervical cancers are among the most destructive gynecological forms of cancer. (2) Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. (3) The main methods used to screen for ovarian cancer are pelvic exams, ultrasounds, Pap smears, and blood tests such as cancer antigen-125 ( CA–125 ). (4) Most women who develop invasive cervical cancer have not had regular cervical cancer screening. 3. Purposes The purposes of this Act are the following: (1) Raising awareness about ovarian and cervical cancers. (2) Raising awareness about the importance (especially for those women who have a family history of cancer or are otherwise at higher risk) of frequent consultation with a physician and the possibility of screening (through tests such as pelvic exams, ultrasounds, Pap smears, and blood tests such as cancer antigen-125) for ovarian, cervical, and other gynecologic cancer. (3) Promotion of early detection methods for ovarian and cervical cancer. (4) Ensuring that special emphasis is given to ovarian and cervical cancer under the public awareness campaign carried out by the Secretary of Health and Human Services under section 317P(d) of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 247b–17(d) ; commonly referred to as Johanna’s Law ). 4. Increasing public awareness of ovarian and cervical cancer Section 317P(d) of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 247b–17(d) ; commonly referred to as Johanna’s Law ) is amended— (1) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking with respect to gynecologic cancers and inserting with respect to ovarian, cervical, and other gynecologic cancers ; and (2) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end the following: (D) Low-income women Activities under the national campaign under subparagraph (A) shall include public service announcements under subparagraph (C) targeted to low-income women. . 5. Sense of Congress It is the sense of the Congress that funding by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of gynecologic cancer education and awareness efforts should reflect the fact that ovarian and cervical cancers are the most deadly of the gynecologic cancers.