Title 42, The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-110

§242s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Office of Women’s Health

Title 42 › CHAPTER 6A — PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE › SUBCHAPTER II — GENERAL POWERS AND DUTIES › Part A — Research and Investigations › § 242s

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Creates an Office of Women’s Health inside the CDC Director’s office. The office is led by a director picked by the CDC Director. The office must report to the CDC Director on how the CDC addresses women’s health across ages, biology, culture (including American Indians, Native Hawaiians, and Alaska Natives), and regions. It must set short- and long-term goals, work with other CDC offices on prevention, research, training, services, and policy, pick projects to do or support, consult health and community groups, and join the HHS Coordinating Committee on Women’s Health. “Women’s health conditions” means diseases or disorders that are either unique to, more serious for, or more common in women, or where medical risk or treatment differs for women or likely does. Money may be appropriated as needed for fiscal years 2010 through 2014.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §242s

The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Establishment
There is established within the Office of the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an office to be known as the Office of Women’s Health (referred to in this section as the “Office”). The Office shall be headed by a director who shall be appointed by the Director of such Centers.
(b)Purpose
The Director of the Office shall—
(1)report to the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the current level of the Centers’ activity regarding women’s health conditions across, where appropriate, age, biological, sociocultural (including among American Indians, Native Hawaiians, and Alaska Natives), and geographical contexts, in all aspects of the Centers’ work, including prevention programs, public and professional education, services, and treatment;
(2)establish short-range and long-range goals and objectives within the Centers for women’s health and, as relevant and appropriate, coordinate with other appropriate offices on activities within the Centers that relate to prevention, research, education and training, service delivery, and policy development, for issues of particular concern to women;
(3)identify projects in women’s health that should be conducted or supported by the Centers;
(4)consult with health professionals, nongovernmental organizations, consumer organizations, women’s health professionals, and other individuals and groups, as appropriate, on the policy of the Centers with regard to women; and
(5)serve as a member of the Department of Health and Human Services Coordinating Committee on Women’s Health (established under section 237a(b)(4) of this title).
(c)Definition
As used in this section, the term “women’s health conditions”, with respect to women of all age, ethnic, and racial groups, means diseases, disorders, and conditions—
(1)unique to, significantly more serious for, or significantly more prevalent in women; and
(2)for which the factors of medical risk or type of medical intervention are different for women, or for which there is reasonable evidence that indicates that such factors or types may be different for women.
(d)Authorization of appropriations
For the purpose of carrying out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2010 through 2014.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 310A of act July 1, 1944, was renumbered section 226 and transferred to section 235 of this title.

Amendments

2022—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 117–103 substituted “sociocultural (including among American Indians, Native Hawaiians, and Alaska Natives), and geographical contexts,” for “and sociocultural contexts,”.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 242s

Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110