First Lady Jill Biden announces that the Department of Defense is allocating $500 million annually for women’s health. Screen capture courtesy of Clinton Global Initiative/YouTube
Sept. 24 (UPI) — First lady Jill Biden announced that the Department of Defense will commit more than $500 million a year to research on women’s health as the Biden administration prioritizes improving women’s lives.
Biden announced the investment on Monday in New York City during a speech at the Clinton Global Initiative alongside Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Dr Valerie Montgomery Rice.
“This is a big deal, and it’s about time,” Biden said in announcing the funding. “We’re going to work on this.”
She explained that the funding will be used for research into arthritis, chronic fatigue and cardiovascular health.
The $500 million investment in women’s health research will be made primarily through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program, a Department of Defense program that funds certain biomedical research, according to a Defense Department statement.
The department said investments in research into women’s health are “critical” to meeting the health care needs of more than 230,000 active-duty female military personnel and about 2 million female veterans.
Biden said the research will improve the health of women who serve in the military, “which will ripple through to all women.”
“So, I’m super excited about it,” she added.
In addition to the funding, the Department of Defense announced that starting October 1, it will adopt new research policies to ensure that women’s health is considered at every stage of CDMRP research.
The Defense Department also said it would standardize health research opportunities to encourage applicants to consider studying health areas that affect women, and would commit to increasing investments in innovators and small businesses working in women’s health research and development.
“Investments in women’s health research and evidence-based care are critical to meeting the health care needs of the women the Department of Defense serves,” the Defense Department said.
The move comes as the Biden administration has made improving women’s health a part of its policy agenda: In February, the first lady announced the launch of the first-ever “Spring Initiative for Women’s Health,” which will commit $100 million to research on women’s health.
President Joe Biden signed an executive order in March to advance research into women’s health, reduce health disparities and ensure that advances in the laboratory translate into real clinical benefits for women.
“Investments in women’s health research and evidence-based care are critical to meeting the health care needs of the women the Department of Defense serves,” Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said in a statement on X on Monday.
“These new announcements build on recent efforts the Department of Defense has already made to advance research into women’s health and care for our citizens.”
