Take action to improve your health

4 happy, healthy women "The first important step is education… The second step on the road to good health is taking action… while the medical community can conduct research, and provide recommendations and guidelines on health-promoting behaviors, the ultimate responsibility for embarking on the road to a healthier and more hopeful life rests with you."

Excerpt from the American Medical Women’s Association: The Women's Complete Healthbook, written entirely by women physicians and other medical professionals.

Women's Health Task Force

A project of the National Council of Women's Organizations, The Women's Health Task force supports the work of NCWO member organizations to advance women's health and to promote NCWO's healthcare policy agenda. We also seek to provide a place where women can find accurate and easy-to-understand preventive health information.

NCWO Featured Programs

Congratulations HealthyWomen: NCWO affiliate is Ranked Top Site in O, The Oprah Magazine

NCWO affiliate, HealthyWomen, is the top rated women’s health website, according to Oprah magazine (Feb. 16, 2010 issue).

In the General Health category, Mehmet Oz, MD, host of the Dr. Oz Show and coauthor of the best-selling You: The Owner's Manual series, picks HealthyWomen, saying: "For one-stop women's health advice, I recommend HealthyWomen.org . Experts are available to answer questions, and you can read about women with similar concerns. It's a great place to start researching health issues; they offer a bunch of useful fact sheets on topics like diabetes and aging that you can download."

SWHR's Greenberger named “A Woman Who is Changing the World”

Women’s Day magagine (Dec.11, 2009),
named Phyllis Greenberger, president and CEO of NCWO affiliate, the Society for Women’s Health Research, one of 50 "Women Who Are Changing the World."

The Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) is widely recognized as the thought leader in research on sex differences and is dedicated to improving women’s health through advocacy, education, and research.

In 1993, SWHR opened its official headquarters in Washington, D.C. and hired its first professional staff. Phyllis Greenberger was selected as the first Executive Director and remains as President & CEO today.

What's Inside

Take action

The task force's top legislative priority in the 111th Congress, 1st Session is passage of real health care reform that addresses the needs ofwomen. Click here for resources to contact your Members of Congress.

New Breast Cancer Guidelines Issued, Followed by Controversy and Confusion

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's (USPSTF) breast cancer screening recommendations released Nov. 17 unleashed a firestorm. The new guidelines recommend that women in their 40s no longer have annual mammograms and that women ages 50 to 74 have them only every other year instead of annually.
Click here for rest of the article.

Special Thanks

The task force thanks Qiagen, Hologic, Sanofi Aventis and the Office on Women's Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for their generous support.

Health Information You Can Use

Add the Women's Health Task Force Button to your Website!

Start Planning Now for National Women’s Health Week (May 9-15)

National Women’s Health Week kicks off on Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 9), however, now is the time to start making plans to take action that week, that is, to use the excellent materials made available by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health to help yourself and others.

The week exists to empower women to make their health a top priority. Materials can also help you plan activities and events for your workplace, as well as for organizations to which you belong. With the theme “It’s Your Time,” the nationwide initiative encourages women to take simple steps for a longer, healthier, and happier life.

A easy-to-follow activity on the website is the eight-week Woman Challenge, an online physical activity program. They suggest beginning on May 9, 2010, however, not starting it that day is not an excuse, as it’s a great program to start any time.

Questions to ask your doctor, thanks to a federal agency

A recent article in the Washington Post notes that the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has launched a campaign called, Questions are the answer, aimed at getting Americans to research and ask questions of their health-care providers.

The website includes written materials, as well as videos. There are 10 basic questions provided. The site also helps the consumer create a list of questions based on the specific nature of the upcoming visit with their health-care provider.

Women's Health Task Force

Campaign’s Three Key Messages

Other Cool Sites for Cervical Cancer Awareness Month

Daily Women's Health Policy Report