5 Great Groups Focused On Improving Healthcare For Women
Women face many hurdles when it comes to getting quality healthcare, from clinical trials that exclude or under-represent them to doctors who don't take their pain seriously. This list, presented in no particular order, shares several organizations working to make healthcare more accessible and comprehensive for women around the world.
Kicking off our list at #1 is Women's Health Concern, the patient arm of the British Menopause Society. This group's mission is to offer a confidential, independent service to advise, reassure and educate women of all ages about their gynecological and sexual health, wellbeing, and lifestyle concerns.
"Women’s Health Concern (WHC) is the patient arm of the British Menopause Society (BMS). We provide a confidential, independent service to advise, reassure and educate women of all ages about their gynaecological and sexual health, wellbeing and lifestyle concerns. We offer unbiased information – by telephone, email, printed factsheets, online and through symposia, seminars, meetings and our workshop Living and loving well beyond 40…! A key objective is for women to forge a closer relationship with their general practitioners, nurses and other health professionals."
The organization offers unbiased information about women's health topics such as endometriosis, fibroids, abortion, and more via its website, over email, and through its telephone service. In addition, it hosts various webinars and symposia for care providers to network and hear from speakers.
Next up, at #2, we have the Women's College Research Institute, a multidisciplinary medical center based in Toronto, Canada. WCRI is one of only a few hospital-based research institutes worldwide to focus on women's health.
Its scientists, all of whom have academic appointments at the University of Toronto, conduct research with the goal of improving the health of women, helping people prevent and manage complex chronic conditions, and delivering innovative health system solutions.
Coming in at #3 we have Abortion Care Network, a national association for independent, community-based, reproductive health facilities and their allies. Founded in 2008, it works to ensure the rights of all people to experience respectful, dignified abortion care and allows individuals to search for providers on its website.
The organization continuously builds its network of advocates and supporters who integrate abortion services, the people who offer them, and those who have had this medical procedure. It also aims to develop a culture in which abortion care is accepted and commonplace rather than hidden and specialized.
The #4 entry is Lifecycle WomanCare. Notable for being the first licensed birth center in Pennsylvania, it now has locations in Byrn Mawr and Philadelphia. Lifecycle offers healthcare services for women of all ages, regardless of income, from wellness check-ups to full-service gynecological care.
Because the group views ongoing health education and counseling as a critical element of high-quality care, it offers classes, workshops, and seminars to its patients. Topics include mindfulness-based childbirth and lactation essentials.
Last but not least, at #5, we present Medicines360, a nonprofit pharmaceutical company working to expand access to quality medicines for all women. Based in San Francisco, it has developed its own birth control, an intrauterine system called Liletta that can prevent pregnancy for up to six years.
Medicines360, through its subsidiary Impact RH360, launched the Avibela Project to expand access to hormonal IUDs in lower-income countries. It licenses its hormonal IUD to NGOs and works hand-in-hand with them to support registration, provider training, and product launches.