Empowering Women: Halle Berry, Sen. Capito Unite in West Virginia to Champion Leadership and Mid-Life Health

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Amanda Barber

Charleston, W.Va. (BBG) – Actress Halle Berry and U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) teamed up in Charleston Aug. 14 to host two events that focused on a better future for women in the state and country. Berry and Sen. Capito first held a “Girls Rise Up” female empowerment event at Piedmont Elementary School on the East End of Charleston.

Sen. Capito started “West Virginia Girls Rise Up” in 2015 to inspire young Mountain State women to be strong, kind leaders. The program focuses on three topics: self-confidence, education and fitness.

The event was the 32nd one held since the program launched in 2015. Berry and Sen. Capito spoke with fifth-grade students about their career journeys and the importance of leadership. Students also had an opportunity to take the “Girls Rise Up Challenge,” committing to goals that promote a pathway to success.

Berry and Sen. Capito with students of Piedmont Elementary School in Charleston.
(Photos courtesy of Sen. Capito’s office)

“Inspiring the next generation of West Virginians – especially our young women – is so important to me,” Sen. Capito says in a press release on the event. “It was so special to have an accomplished female actress like Halle Berry here with me in Charleston to help deliver this message. This message comes at such a critical point in the lives of these young women, and I am confident that they will go on to do great things in the future.”

Actress Halle Berry speaks with Piedmont Elementary School students.

Berry and Sen. Capito also hosted a roundtable discussion that day on bipartisan legislation aiming to boost research and resources for menopause and mid-life women’s health. Medical providers, patients, academics, and government offices from throughout West Virginia participated in the event.

Berry and Sen. Capito speak at a menopause roundtable discussion at the Kanawha County Public Library in Charleston.

The “Advancing Menopause and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act” would strengthen federal research on menopause as well as expand medical workforce training, education efforts, and public health awareness and resources. For the first time, it would coordinate existing federal programs related to menopause and mid-life women’s health, according to Sen. Capito’s office.

The proposed legislation proves crucial as 75 million United States women are perimenopausal, menopausal, or post-menopausal – with 6,000 more reaching menopause every day. Sen. Capito says that although half the population will eventually experience menopause, research has long been “underinvested in and overlooked.”

“Menopause is a fact of life for women and something we all deserve to know more about,” Sen. Capito says. “Menopause can impact every aspect of a woman’s life – from their career to their relationships – and for too long, it has only been whispered about among our friends and health care providers.”

A 2023 survey from The Menopause Society provides insight on why the discussed legislation is essential. Results show only 31.3% of U.S. residency programs offer a formal menopause curriculum for residents’ training. Even further, those programs with menopause curricula offered five or fewer lectures each year, with 71% reporting two or fewer lectures yearly. About 83% of respondents believe their program requires more resources for menopause education. There is little menopause education for doctors and few federally funded clinical trials on treatments, according to the press release on Berry and Sen. Capito’s roundtable discussion.

“Women have deserved more from our healthcare systems for far too long, but that’s about to change,” Berry says. “I’m thrilled to be in West Virginia and am grateful for Senator Capito’s leadership on the bipartisan ‘Advancing Menopause and Mid-Life Women’s Health Act.’ I look forward to working alongside her to get it over the finish line.”

Sen. Capito echoed Berry’s appreciation for their collaborative efforts to work toward a better future for women of all ages, noting the compassion and knowledge of both the actress and roundtable attendees.

“I’m thrilled to have Halle Berry join us in West Virginia to discuss this important issue that she has so fiercely advocated for through many efforts,” Sen. Capito says. “Her voice, along with the expertise of the individuals we heard from at the roundtable, are so valuable as we work together to address the realities that women are facing every day.”

Berry and Sen. Capito with West Virginia professionals at a menopause roundtable discussion in Charleston.