The Office on Women's Health (OWH) is part of the

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is " ...

(DHHS) and functions to improve the health and well-being of U.S. women and girls. The main headquarters, from which the OWH operate, is located in Washington, DC with ten other regional women's health coordinators positioned across the country to implement local health initiatives.

Background

The OWH was introduced in 1991 within the DHHS and is directed by the Deputy Assistant Secretary for omen'sHealth (DASWH.) The OWH typically work alongside federal government agencies; associations of health care professionals; tribal organizations; non-profit charities; consumer groups and state, county and

local governments Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

. Through funding and contracts with these organisations, the OWH is able to administer various strategies and programmes to improve women's health in America and increase awareness. The Affordable Care Act codified the establishment of an Office on Women’s Health within the Office of the Secretary of HHS, as well as Offices of Women’s Health within four of its agencies: the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the

Health Resources and Services Administration The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services located in North Bethesda, Maryland. It is the primary federal agency for improving access to health care services for peop ...

(HRSA).

Awards and recognition

A number of campaigns employed by the OWH have gained recognition for their work: * '

Best Bones Forever ''Best Bones Forever!'' is a national bone health campaign that encourages girls ages 9–14 to adopt healthy habits for bone growth and osteoporosis prevention. The campaign was created by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Offi ...

!', a campaign encouraging girls to eat more foods with calcium and vitamin D, received a Public Relations Society of America Silver Anvil Award for Best Government Public Service Campaign. *'

National Women’s Health Week National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

', a week aimed at increasing awareness about women's health, received a Blue Pencil & Gold Screen Award of Excellence from the National Association of Government Communicators. * The OWH website, womenshealth.gov, won the Government Customer Support Excellence Award in the Customer Focus Excellence category. *Womenshealth.gov and girlshealth.gov were ranked as top performers in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Survey.

Regional Coordinators

The role of local coordinators is to comply with national strategy established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and to represent the

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spain, ...

by initiating campaigns in their communities. Other responsibilities include identifying regional needs in women's health and implementing activities in health care service delivery, research, and education. The regions are split up in the following way: *Region I – Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont *Region II – New Jersey, New York, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John) *Region III – Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia *Region IV – Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee *Region V – Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin *Region VI – Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas *Region VII – Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska *Region VIII – Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming *Region IX – Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and the United States Pacific Island Jurisdictions: American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Republic of Palau *Region X – Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington

References

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External links

WomensHealth.gov

GirlsHealth.gov
Women's health Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health