Whereas Black women represent 7.4 percent of the United States population and 12.7 percent of the female population; Whereas, from 2007 to 2014, the teen pregnancy rate for Black teen women declined by 44 percent; Whereas Black teens have significantly lower prevalence of cigarette smoking than Hispanic and White adolescents; Whereas, from 2005 to 2014, new HIV cases among Black women declined by 42 percent; Whereas contraceptive use has increased among Black women over the past 10 years; Whereas the Black Women’s Health Study found that over 60 percent of their participants reported their mental health as excellent or very good ; Whereas Black women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than their White counterparts; Whereas 56.6 percent of Black adult women are obese compared to 32.8 percent of White adult women, and overall Black Americans have the highest age-adjusted rate of obesity in the Nation; Whereas the obesity-related health care cost for preventable diseases was $23.9 billion in 2014 and is expected to be $50 billion by 2050; Whereas 46 percent of Black women over the age of 20 have hypertension compared to 31 percent of White women and 29 percent of Hispanic women; Whereas heart disease is one of the leading causes of death for women and Black women have an increased risk for heart disease due to the prevalence of diabetes, obesity, and hypertension; Whereas, while Black women have similar incidence rates of breast cancer as White women, they are 43 percent more likely to die from the disease than their White counterparts; Whereas it is estimated that over 30 percent of Black women do not receive the recommended number of prenatal visits because of costs; Whereas women who do not receive prenatal care are more likely to experience pregnancy-related complications; Whereas the Black infant mortality rate is 2.4 times higher than for White infants, primarily because Black women have high rates of preterm births