Date: 2025-02-10
Location: Hartford, CT
Capitol News Briefing with State Rep. Gilchrest on the Endometriosis Working Group Recommendations for 2025
Endometriosis work group members participated in the Capitol News Briefing to present the Endometriosis Work Group Recommendations for 2025 and brief the legislators on the EndoRISE Program and Biorepository and the Diaper Bank of Connecticut.
Rep. Jillian Gilchrest presented the policy recommendations along Dr. Elise Courtois (co-director, EndoRISE), Kayceety Mullaj (clinical research coordinator,EndoRISE) and Jenny Kohl (project manager,Diaper Bank of Connecticut)
POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS- January 2025
EndoRISE, Connecticut’s Endometriosis Biorepository
Uphold funding for the state Endometriosis Data and Biorepository Program, here forth called
EndoRISE, as approved in the in FY 24 and FY 25 budget, passed in PA 23-204, § 137.
Fertility Preservation
Require Medicaid and insurance coverage for fertility preservation for individuals with Endometriosis as well as gynecological conditions that can cause infertility and work with the State Department of Public Health to provide the most up to date information and resources for the systemic disease of endometriosis and fertility preservation..
School Nurse Training
Work with school nurses to develop recommendations on continuing education credentialing and
training, related to endometriosis, that includes information on symptoms and resources, explicit
and implicit bias, microaggressions, systemic racism, racial disparities, anti-blackness, and
experiences of transgender & gender diverse youth. Encourage School Nurses to provide in-service
trainings for school staff, in particular athletic trainers, related to the topics outlined.
Menstrual Education for Students
Work with the State Department of Education, State Department of Public Health, Local Boards of
Education, teachers, and health educators to establish and enact health education standards to include
education on menstruation and all of female internal and external anatomy and ensure that students receive age and grade appropriate education, beginning in the late elementary years through grade 12.
Excused School Absence
Excuse student from attending school for a maximum of 10 days in a school year for an absence resulting from symptoms related to endometriosis, dysmenorrhea, menorrhagia, or polycystic ovary syndrome, if the student or the student’s parent or guardian provides documentation.
Women’s Pain
Work with the medical community to ensure women’s pain and mental health are taken seriously. Continue the conversation about the mental health of women who deal with chronic pain and the mental angst that is brought on by various conditions. Ensure that women are offered appropriate pain medication for certain procedures including, but not limited to biopsies and intrauterine device (IUD) placement and removal. Continue the conversation surrounding medical education and training on women’s pain, with specific attention paid to women of color.
Access to Medical Care
Require Medicaid and insurance coverage for the symptoms and treatment of endometriosis that is
patient centered and work with the State Departments of Insurance, Social Services, and Public Health to
increase access to endometriosis screening, treatment, and social support services for Black and Latinx
people, low-income people, and people experiencing homelessness.
Federal Advocacy
Advocate for greater federal funding for endometriosis research and changes to coding at Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to recognize the various types of endometriosis and
appropriate treatment options available.
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Endometriosis work group members participated in the Capitol News Briefing to present the Endometriosis Work Group Recommendations for 2025 and brief the legislators on the EndoRISE Program and Biorepository and the Diaper Bank of Connecticut.
Rep. Jillian Gilchrest presented the policy recommendations along Dr. Elise Courtois (co-director, EndoRISE), Kayceety Mullaj (clinical research coordinator,EndoRISE) and Jenny Kohl (project manager,Diaper Bank of Connecticut)
POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS- January 2025
EndoRISE, Connecticut’s Endometriosis Biorepository
Uphold funding for the state Endometriosis Data and Biorepository Program, here forth called
EndoRISE, as approved in the in FY 24 and FY 25 budget, passed in PA 23-204, § 137.
Fertility Preservation
Require Medicaid and insurance coverage for fertility preservation for individuals with Endometriosis as well as gynecological conditions that can cause infertility and work with the State Department of Public Health to provide the most up to date information and resources for the systemic disease of endometriosis and fertility preservation..
School Nurse Training
Work with school nurses to develop recommendations on continuing education credentialing and
training, related to endometriosis, that includes information on symptoms and resources, explicit
and implicit bias, microaggressions, systemic racism, racial disparities, anti-blackness, and
experiences of transgender & gender diverse youth. Encourage School Nurses to provide in-service
trainings for school staff, in particular athletic trainers, related to the topics outlined.
Menstrual Education for Students
Work with the State Department of Education, State Department of Public Health, Local Boards of
Education, teachers, and health educators to establish and enact health education standards to include
education on menstruation and all of female internal and external anatomy and ensure that students receive age and grade appropriate education, beginning in the late elementary years through grade 12.
Excused School Absence
Excuse student from attending school for a maximum of 10 days in a school year for an absence resulting from symptoms related to endometriosis, dysmenorrhea, menorrhagia, or polycystic ovary syndrome, if the student or the student’s parent or guardian provides documentation.
Women’s Pain
Work with the medical community to ensure women’s pain and mental health are taken seriously. Continue the conversation about the mental health of women who deal with chronic pain and the mental angst that is brought on by various conditions. Ensure that women are offered appropriate pain medication for certain procedures including, but not limited to biopsies and intrauterine device (IUD) placement and removal. Continue the conversation surrounding medical education and training on women’s pain, with specific attention paid to women of color.
Access to Medical Care
Require Medicaid and insurance coverage for the symptoms and treatment of endometriosis that is
patient centered and work with the State Departments of Insurance, Social Services, and Public Health to
increase access to endometriosis screening, treatment, and social support services for Black and Latinx
people, low-income people, and people experiencing homelessness.
Federal Advocacy
Advocate for greater federal funding for endometriosis research and changes to coding at Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to recognize the various types of endometriosis and
appropriate treatment options available.
