[Federal Register: February 11, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 28)] [Notices] [Page 6903-6904] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr11fe99-70] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Office of the Secretary OPHS Office on Women's Health; Women Living Long, Living Well (WLLLW): Draft for Public Comment AGENCY: DHHS/OS/Office of Public Health and Science, Office on Women's Health (OWH). ACTION: Call for comments on the draft WLLLW framework. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Department of Health and Human Services is soliciting comments on Women Living Long, Living Well (WLLLW): Draft for Public Comment, which proposes a framework for articulating, developing, and implementing women's health research, services, and education throughout the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for the year 2001. We invite you to comment, in writing, using the mail, courier service, or the Internet. DATES: The period for public comment opens at 9:00 a.m. EST on February 15, 1999, and closes at 5:00 p.m. EST on March 31, 1999. AVAILABILITY OF DRAFT DOCUMENT: The full text of Women Living Longer, Living Well: Draft for Public Comment is available on the National Women's Health Information Center (NWHIC) world wide web site, http:// www.4woman.gov/owh/pub/wlllw/index.htm. You also may call NWHIC at 1- 800-994-WOMAN (1-800-994-9662) to request a copy of the draft WLLLW document. ADDRESSES: The mailing address for written comments is: ATTENTION: Theresa Brown, WLLLW Document; PHS Coordinating Committee on Women's Health; Room 730-F, Hubert H. Humphrey Building; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 200 Independence Avenue, SW; Washington, DC 20201. You may also submit comments electronically through the NWHIC world wide web site, http://www.4woman.gov/wlllw. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: PHS Coordinating Committee on Women's Health; Room 730-F, Hubert H. Humphrey Building; 200 Independence Avenue, SW; Washington, DC 20201; (202) 690-7650. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background To further promote and expand the understanding and knowledge of women's health throughout the life span, and at the direction of the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the U.S. Public Health Service's Coordinating Committee on Women's Health proposes a framework for articulating, developing, and implementing women's health research, services, and education throughout the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The theme of this framework is ``Women Living Long, Living Well.'' The acronym of the theme--WLLLW--suggests a metaphor: the willow. This family of over 100 varieties of trees represents the diversity of American women. The goals of the WLLLW framework derive from the objectives established in Healthy People 2000 and 2010. The Healthy People 2000 Objectives are the U.S. Public Health Service's health objectives for the nation, which are currently being refined in Healthy People 2010. The WLLLW framework seeks to support and enhance the efforts [[Page 6904]] of DHHS in addressing the major causes of death and disability among women in the United States of all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. In particular, this framework focuses on the behavioral elements of risk while acknowledging the complexity introduced by genetic or environmental risks, which individuals often cannot control. Accomplishing the goals of WLLLW entails three key strategies: Taking what we know and applying it better; Generating new knowledge; and Partnering with communities across the nation to improve the health of women. To refine and focus the Department's activities for 2001 and beyond, and to ensure an effective response, consultation with various key constituencies and stakeholders is critical. The WLLLW framework is intended to serve as the basis for discussion and input from the community. Feed-back on the following objectives will assist us in this process to identify: 1. The three most significant means to reach and maintain the goal of a long, healthy life for a woman and the barriers to reaching this goal. 2. The critical prevention and intervention point in each stage of life that promotes good health in subsequent stages. 3. The single most important activity the Department needs to undertake, in partnership with communities, to address these issues. 4. A primary gap in women's health activities within the Department, and the two or three specific strategies to address this gap. 5. Innovative activities in which the Department should be involved. 6. In what ways women's health should be organized and incorporated into the structure of the Department. Purpose of Public Comment The WLLLW framework seeks to support and enhance the efforts of DHHS in addressing the major causes of death and disability among women in the United States of all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. To refine and focus the Department's activities for 2001 and beyond, and to ensure an effective response, consultation with various key constituencies and stakeholders is critical. The WLLLW framework is intended to serve as the basis for discussion and input from the community. We invite your general comments and feedback, and we are especially interested in your comments on the six specific subject areas (above). You may: (1) comment where indicated on the web site; or (2) mail us you comments, in the format of your choice. Dated: February 3, 1999. Wanda K. Jones, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health (Women's Health). [FR Doc. 99-3308 Filed 2-10-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4160-17-M