Alliance for Women's Health and Prevention Launches to Advocate for Equitable, Accessible, and Affordable Preventive Care for All Women and Girls

New non-profit will focus on access to care and treatment, early detection and diagnosis, vaccine access and affordability, and social determinants of health

WASHINGTON, Oct. 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the Alliance for Women's Health and Prevention (AWHP), a new, 501(c)(4) non-profit organization working to ensure that all women and girls have access to high-quality preventive care, announced its launch. AWHP brings together a diverse and distinguished set of leaders who will work collaboratively to advance policies that drive equitable access to preventive care and prevent the burden and progression of disease for all women.

"Despite progress, access to quality, affordable preventive care is a significant unmet need experienced by far too many women and girls. The pandemic exposed and reinforced the inequities in the health system and the need for a dedicated effort on prevention for women. AWHP will bring this singular focus while engaging with many of the leading voices in women's health and convening the broader community," said Millicent Gorham, Chair of the Board of Directors and Executive Director at Movement is Life.

Extensive healthcare research highlights the urgency for greater focus and intentional action in women's preventive health.

• In April 2020, due to social distancing requirements in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, screenings for breast cancer and cervical cancer were down 87% and 84%, respectively, as compared with previous 5-year averages for that month.
• A recent survey found that 1 in 5 women believed that their symptoms were ignored or dismissed by a healthcare provider.
• Another study found that 1 in 10 women with an ongoing health condition do not have a regular healthcare provider.

AWHP will engage and advocate for key prevention-focused policy issues and urge policymakers through research, public relations, paid media, and other strategies at the state, federal, and global levels, with an initial focus on federal issues. The organization's initial areas of focus are:

• Addressing Upstream Social and Environmental Factors: We seek to advance both cultural humility and culturally competent care, provide support for families and caregivers, and promote workplace preventive health policies.
• Advancing Access to Care and Treatment: We seek to promote access to primary and specialty care, and advance innovative care models.
• Promoting Early Detection and Diagnosis: We support screening guidelines that prioritize improved health outcomes, seek to advance affordable access to screenings and diagnostics, and emphasize care/counsel based on the results.
• Advancing Vaccine Access and Affordability: We promote public health guidance that prioritizes access to improved disease protection and support affordable access to necessary vaccines, particularly in public programs.

AWHP is led by a committed and passionate Board of Directors consisting of leading healthcare providers, patient advocates, and policy experts dedicated to advancing equitable policy that improves the lives and health of all women by prioritizing screening and prevention. The Board members hold leadership roles at trusted organizations including the National Alliance for Hispanic Health and the American Medical Women's Association.

The Board of Directors will work in collaboration with an expert Advisory Council, made up of a distinguished group of individuals from the healthcare, health equity, women's health, health of multicultural communities, and policy sectors, to build out and refine a policy agenda. The Advisory Council hold leadership roles from organizations including Black Women's Health Imperative, Jewish Women International, the National Grange and Unidos.

The Alliance for Women's Health and Prevention is a non-partisan 501(c)(4) non-profit organization working to ensure that all women and girls have access to high-quality preventive care. Our mission is to advance policy that drives equitable access and prevents the burden and progression of disease to improve the lives and health of all women and girls.

For more information, please visit WomensHealthandPrevention.org and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @AWHPOrg.

SOURCE Alliance for Women’s Health & Prevention