Report Card

Not my grades (but they were ok)! 

 Tonight I want to make a few points about a report on women's health in the USA.  I will also provide you the link to the Health Care Report Card that is provided  by the National Women's Law Center. 

This organization has provided a report card every three years since 2004 (possibly longer).  The most recent one compares the status of certain bench marks to 2007. 

This report card regards women's health; however, you do not have to be a woman to have a vested interest in their access to services and the state of their health.

[I had planned to really delve into this report over the holiday and only got so far as to print some summaries to read on the plan.  Alas, I read those today.]

The report, benchmarks and grades can be reviewed here.  Things are pretty bleak with only two states being considered Satisfactory and the is with a minus sign. S- for Massachusetts and Vermont. 

There are three or four things that are relevant to our blog.  There has been progress in smoking cessation.  There is more coverage for quit smoking services and there was a decline in the number of women who are current smokers in 84% of the states.

In regards to sexuality, reproductive health and sex education, more schools are including comprehensive education that includes contraception information.  Notable, 24 states did without the federal monies that are available to schools for sex education under the "abstinence only" condition.

This is important for the following point as well.

One of the benchmarks took a significant hit in the last three years.  The number of women receiving annual pap smears.  The pap smear is THE screening tool for cervical cancer.  The pap smear prevents the cancer by detecting abnormal skin cells that can be removed.  I strongly suspect that the decline in screening is the fault of drug makers who market the HPV vaccine.  HPV is the virus that can cause the cancer.  The vaccine can prevent some strains of the virus but it does not prevent cancer.  (safe sex and pap smears are still vital for reproductive health)

Another thing that I relate to drug company promotion is considered a positive by some.  Cholesterol screening in women has increased.  I imagine the number of women now taking statin drugs has increased proportionately.

For the blog theme I think that is the most of it - again, you can view it all at this webpage.  Here you can see the ten states that received an F as well.