WEALTH

Newsletter of the WIN Womens Health Policy Network

December 2011 Volume 3 Issue 3

Healthy WINers
December 1 was World AIDS Day:
Nearly 1.2 million people are living with HIV in the U.S. and one in five of those are unaware of their infections. Among racial/ethnic groups, African Americans face the most severe burden of HIV and AIDS in the nation: The HIV incidence rate for black women is 15 times as high as that of white women, and more than three times that of Hispanic women. The rate of new HIV infections among Hispanic women is more than four times that of white women. The Kaiser Family Foundation has updated resources on the HIV/ AIDS epidemic both globally and domestically. These resources include several fact sheets, an interactive timeline, of HIV/AIDS milestones and an updated tutorial on the current state of the global AIDS epidemic. To find out about the US governments National HIV/AIDS Strategy, visit AIDS.gov. Source: HIV and AIDS in America: A Snapshot

Network Announcement!
Thursday, January 19th, 6:30-8:30 pm: Join the WIN Womens Health Policy & Women in the Law Networks to celebrate the 39th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision at a dinner discussion of the ongoing threats to choice. RSVP to healthpolicy@winonline.org.

See you in the New Year!

Meet a WINner in Womens Health!

er and womens health advocacy organiza- What is your educational background? tions to develop recommendations for how I have a BA in International Relations from the ACA can be implemented in a way to Connecticut College, minored in Economics best meet our communities needs. and received a certificate in Conservation What led you to choose this field and join the Biology and Environmental Studies. In adNational Partnership? dition my last semester at college I took a fascinating class on Health Economics. Christine Monahan I grew up surrounded by scientists in the field of cancer and other medical research What career advice would you give to other Health Policy Advisor but I had little interest lab tests and reThe National Partnership for women who are seeking a similar career path? ports. I was curious about how environWomen & Families Push yourself to take advantage of any opmental, social, and economic factors can portunity you get to do something new. A What does your job entail? influence a health and how public policy big reason I have been able to advance at can improve health and health care. After I advocate for federal policies that prothe National Partnership is because I was mote access to quality affordable health college, I wanted to work for an organizachallenged to dive into new issues, be flexicare for women and families. In particu- tion dedicated to these issues and I knew ble, and learn along the way. lar, I focus on implementation of the pri- DC was the best place to go to find that. vate health insurance market reforms in What has been your biggest reward in your How has being a WIN member helped you in the ACA, as well as issues related to pursuit of your career goals? career thus far? Biggest challenge? health equity and nondiscrimination. I didn't learn about WIN until I was workI joined the National Partnership just as What does your day to day work look like? ing at the National Partnership, but I sure the debate over health care reform got wish I had known about it when I first I spend most of my time closely analyz- going in spring 2009. It was hugely removed down without a job or any connecing and preparing comments on regula- warding to see the ACA become law tions. Since then, though, I have taken adknowing that I played a role in getting it tions coming out of Health and Human vantage of it to meet other women working Services, as well as the Labor and Treas- there. Since then, I've discovered passing the law was the easy part - implementation in related fields and go to events that otherury Departments this often involves wise wouldn't be on my radar. working in coalition with other consum- is enormously challenging.
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Recent Womens Health Action on the Hill

December 1: The Senate approved the FY2012 Defense Authorization Act (S. 1867) and the

Senate Judiciary Committee approved the Strengthening Investigation of Sex Offenders and Missing Children Act (S. 1792) and the Finding Fugitive Sex Offenders Act (S. 671) December 6: The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution held a hearing on H.R. 3541, the Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (PRENDA) December 8: The Senate Indian Affairs Committee approved the Stand Against Violence and Empower (SAVE) Native Women Act (S. 1763) December 13 & 15: The House approved the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act (H.R. 3630), which contains provisions to extend the TANF program, and the Welfare Integrity and Data Improvement Act (H.R. 3659), which was incorporated into H.R. 3630 December 17: The Senate approved its version of H.R. 3630 Source: Womens Policy Inc.

Check Out These New Health Policy Resources

National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence: New report re-

leased: Healthy People 2010 Objectives for Unintentional Injury and Violence Among Adolescents Trends from the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 1999-2009. The Commonwealth Fund report: New report released. The Relationship Between Hospital Admission Rates and Rehospitalizations. Health Affairs: New article released. Awareness Of Racial And Ethnic Health Disparities Has Improved Only Modestly Over A Decade. Guttmacher Institute: New Study Provides First-Ever Profile of Second Trimester Abortion Patients. Who Has Second-Trimester Abortions in the United States? Policy Link: New report released. Healthy Food, Healthy Communities: Promising Strategies to Improve Access to Fresh, Healthy Food and Transform Communities. Institute for Womens Policy Research: New survey. Women and Men Living on the Edge: Economic Insecurity After the Great Recession: The survey showed that many women and families are facing hardships in the recovery. In some cases, women and mothers are being forced to cut back on items such as insurance or visits to the doctor. Health Affairs: New health policy brief. The Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB). United Health Foundation: New report released. 2011 America's Health Rankings: A Call to Action for Individuals & Their Communities. Guttmacher Institute: New report released. Medicaid Family Planning Expansions: Lessons Learned and Implications for the Future. Kaiser has updated two fact sheets on womens health insurance coverage reflecting new data for 2010 from the U.S. Census Bureau.: Womens Health Insurance Coverage provides the latest statistics on health coverage, describes the major sources of health insurance for women ages 18-64, and examines several measures in the ACA that will change womens coverage between now and 2014. Health Insurance Coverage of Women Ages 18 to 64, by State, 200910, provides detailed state-level coverage information for the 50 states and the District of Columbia, including data on the share of women who are uninsured.

Upcoming Health Policy Events in the DMV

January 4-5, 2012: First Meeting of the IoM Committee on Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Minors in the United States. Keck Center of the National Academies, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC. Open to the public from 1:15 - 4:15 PM on January 4. January 13, 2012: Strategic Champions Project of the NHLBI Community Health Worker Health Disparities Initiative Proposal Deadline: The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Community Health Worker Health Disparities Initiative seeks to fund champions who can play a pivotal role in by implementing and assessing specific activities. Learn more and apply. January 17, 2012, 5:307:30PM: The Disruptive Women in Health Care Blog - A Health Reform Discussion with Health Economist Dr. Jonathan Gruber. RSVP by Friday, January 13, 2012. February 11-14, 2012: Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs Annual Conference. Improving Maternal and Child Health Across the Life Span: Acting Today for Healthy Tomorrows. Washington, DC. Learn More. February 13-14, 2012: Academy Health National Health Policy Conference. Washington D.C. For the complete agenda or to register, visit http://www.academyhealth.org.

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