Policy Committees
Health and Empowerment
Private Sector Chair: Dr. Mary Ann Block, The Block Center
Agenda for the 69th Annual Conference Policy Committee Meeting [ Word Document ]
Speaker Information Sheet [ Word Document ]
Healthcare and Empowerment Committee Addresses Wide Range of Healthcare Issues
Legislators attending the meeting of the Health and Empowerment Committee at the 2007 NFWL were provided the latest information various healthcare-related issues including alternative and complimentary medicine, addressing nutritional deficiencies in children, adults and senior and treating and preventing child sexual abuse. Speakers in the Committee included Karen Howard of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, Michael Morton of Nourish America's Children First and Pamela Pine of Stop the Silence. Jill Bell of Passport Health Plans also gave the attendees an overview of their services.
The NFWL Healthcare and Empowerment Policy Committee and the NFWL Healthcare Team Leaders are women elected officials from around the nation who are determined to promote accessible and affordable healthcare.
NFWL constantly strives to connect women elected officials throughout the country, analyzing and discussing solutions to issues that affect citizens. At the 2005 NFWL Annual Conference, which was held in Phoenix, Arizona in September, the Healthcare and Empowerment Policy Committee heard from leading policy experts who are just as committed to public health issues.
The NFWL Healthcare and Empowerment Committee works with established partners such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), partners who understand the advantages of a strategic alliance with women leaders. Tony Moulton, Co-Director of the Public Health Law Program at the CDC asserts, "Elected officials are critical to effective public heath, they are action-oriented and have a unique ability to translate science and best practices into effective policy for healthier families and communities."
By and large, our nation's health care experts are women. Dozens of women chair the health care committees in their state legislatures, and women shape the agenda of the healthcare committees in the U.S. Congress as well. Moreover, women across America are typically the ones in charge of their own families' health care.
With the goal of creating healthier families and communities, legislators on the Healthcare and Empowerment committee think outside the box to find ways to cut healthcare costs. Representative Diane Winston (R-LA), Legislative Chair of the committee believes that a system as important as healthcare must be examined in terms of access and affordability.
The Healthcare Team Leaders have created a forum in which members from their states can empower each other to take a more active role in discovering solutions to healthcare dilemmas. This program is a great opportunity to interact with community members and create public awareness about health crises.
Committee Initiatives:- Supporting both informed consumer choice and physician and dentist autonomy in using all conventional, complementary and alternative treatments that offer a reasonable potential for therapeutic gain, and urging the Federal and state government to assure that the law reflects these rights
- Promoting cooperation amongst different levels of government and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the various state health departments in an effort to effectively prepare for a pandemic such as the Bird Flu
- Addressing aging issues that the nation's elderly population face including Medicaid and Medicare, long-term care, prescription drug benefits, mental health, etc. Partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Partnering Organizations of the Committee
The following organizations have sponsored programs of the NFWL Healthcare Committee, while lending expertise in various policy fields. The Committee is grateful to these partners and hopes to include more organizations in its meetings.