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BWH leaders and Bay State lawmakers engaged in a wide-ranging dialogue about practices, policies and philosophies on women’s health last week. Click here for additional photos.
Brigham and Women’s Hospital last week showcased its leadership and commitment in women’s health, as hospital experts provided Bay State lawmakers a firsthand look at BWH’s innovative care and cutting-edge research at the second BWH and Partners HealthCare Women’s Health Legislators Forum.
“We welcome the opportunity to share with you our mission of bringing the best, brightest and most innovative people together to save lives, ease pain and cure illness,” President Gary Gottlieb said in welcoming several state senators and representatives and their staff to BWH.
Gottlieb also pledged the hospital’s support to the legislators as they wrestle with health care-related issues on Beacon Hill. “We will provide you with our expertise as you formulate policy to ensure access to quality health care for all - so there are no disparities,” he said.
Paula A. Johnson, MD, MPH, chief of the Division of Women’s Health, and executive director of Connors Center for Women’s Health and Gender Biology, called the event “just the start of an ongoing conversation about women’s health.” She added, “We are gratified that so many share our passion for improving the health and health care of women.”
Johnson thanked the event’s legislative sponsors: Rep. Peter Koutoujian, House chair of the Joint Committee on Public Health; Sen. Richard Moore, Senate chair of the Joint Committee on Healthcare Financing; and Rep. Ellen Story and Sen. Marian Walsh, co-chairs of the Women’s Legislative Caucus.
State legislators toured the hospital and heard presentations on domestic violence; fibroids and hysterectomy; arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death; and women and emergency care. Several presenters highlighted connections between public health issues policy makers address and BWH’s unique role as an academic medical center with expertise in clinical care, research, training and service to the community.