Reinstein brings senior advocacy experience to issue

REVERE – State Rep. Kathi-Anne Reinstein is poised to play a key role in legislative debate on senior safety, prescription drug cost controls and nursing home care.Reinstein, who represents Revere along with state Rep. Robert DeLeo, is the new House of Representatives leader of the Elder Affairs Committee.”This is a great day for Kathi-Anne Reinstein, but it is also a great day for Revere, for the House, and for the Commonwealth. I’ve seen first hand how much she cares about our elderly citizens and I know she will be an effective and caring leader of this very important committee,” said DeLeo.The committee is made up of House members and state senators who review legislation and vote for or against sending it to their colleagues for approval. Bills before the committee cover affordable prescription drug coverage, elder safety, community care, nursing home care and other issues.”I know Kathi-Anne will do a tremendous job handling the difficult work of the Committee on Elder Affairs and she will be a wonderful addition to my leadership team,” said House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi.Reinstein is currently serving her fifth term representing the 16th Suffolk District. She was vice-chair of the Elder Affairs Committee prior to her promotion.”I look forward to working cooperatively with my House colleagues and Senate counterparts, as well as the elderly community, to create and to report out favorably legislation that best reflects the needs of our seniors across the state,” she said.Reinstein’s other initiatives include last month’s effort to promote Go Red for Women, a campaign by the American Heart Association to raise awareness of heart disease among women.Heart disease and stroke are the number one and three killers of women over the age of 20, claiming the lives of over 460,000 women each year – about one per minute.That rate is nearly twice as high as mortality rates for all forms of cancer, including breast cancer. Two-thirds of women are unaware that heart disease is the leading threat to their health.