September 2007 will mark the 9th year of a partnership between the Area Health Education Centers of Ohio and the Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Prevention Program at the Ohio Department of Health to implement women’s activities in honor of Women’s Health Month. Each September, community organizations and agencies contract with AHEC for amounts ranging from $500 to $1,500 to plan and conduct conferences, workshops, and health fairs focused on women’s health issues.

The purpose of the use of these funds is: (1) to support local and regional efforts to provide education about women’s health; (2) to encourage women to take an active role in their own health care and work with others to improve the health care system; (3) to encourage leadership roles for women in health care policy development and decision making; and (4) to provide positive role models for women.

Some priority topics for Women’s Health Month are: prevention/wellness; violence against women; chronic diseases; effects of media messages and advertising images on women’s health; health issues of women with disabilities; women and addiction; eating disorders; health needs of women with alternative lifestyles; empowerment/self-esteem; and women’s changing health needs over the life span.

The following programs which will be held in September 2007 are funded through the NEOUCOM AHEC Program office.