HEALTHY WOMEN, HEALTHY FAMILIES COALITION FORMED TO COLLECT HEALTHCARE STORIES FROM 2,000 TEXAS WOMEN
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Katie Mahoney August 26, 2008 PHONE: (512) 462-1661 HEALTHY WOMEN, HEALTHY FAMILIES COALITION FORMED TO COLLECT HEALTHCARE STORIES FROM 2,000 TEXAS WOMEN Statewide coalition aims to improve access to healthcare services for women and families across Texas AUSTIN, TX –The Healthy Women, Healthy Families coalition, made up of over 15 organizations from across Texas, announces the launch of a statewide survey project to be conducted over the next nine months. The coalition will survey more than 2,000 Texas women from diverse communities throughout the state to identify their healthcare needs and priorities. Women will also be asked to share a personal story about a healthcare challenge they or a family member has faced. “We often don’t realize what a powerful tool sharing our stories can be,” said Katie Mahoney, Healthy Women, Healthy Families project coordinator. “If fifty people in the same town describe the same healthcare challenge they are facing in their personal lives, suddenly it becomes a community problem and it can’t be ignored any longer.” When the 81st legislative session convenes in January, the coalition plans to bring stories and survey results to the Capitol to raise awareness about the state of women’s health in various regions across Texas, as well as lobby for improved health services in the areas of most need as identified by survey participants. Coalition members will also meet with other policymakers across the state, and will hold regional forums to bring local leaders and community members together to address these issues.
“Information about women’s health in Texas, especially personal stories from the women themselves, helps us as lawmakers know what we need to do during the legislative session to improve the quality of life for the Texans we serve,” said Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston. In conjunction with the project, the coalition launched the accompanying web site www.HealthyWomenHealthyFamilies.org. In its first week, over 200 surveys were submitted online through this site. “We are thrilled about the response to this project so far,” said Mahoney. “It is clear that women across Texas are prepared to demand the healthcare they need – not only for themselves, but on behalf of everyone else with a similar story to tell.” The Healthy Women, Healthy Families project is a response to the many grim statistics regarding women’s health in Texas. These statistics include the following: w Texas has the nation's highest rate of women aged 15-44 with no health insurance w Texas has a lower rate of women who have access to prenatal care or family planning than almost every other state in the nation w African-American and Latina women have the highest death rates from cervical cancer (mortality is even higher for Latina women along the Texas-Mexico border) w Half of all Texas women giving birth rely on Medicaid to cover their child's birth w Texas is one of the ten states with the highest percentage of women over 40 who have not gotten a mammogram in the past three years w Texas has the nation's highest rate of teenage births and repeat teenage births # # #
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