In September 2005, The Wyoming Health Council (WYHC) was awarded a two year contract by the US Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health (DHHS / OWH) to establish a Rural / Frontier Women’s Health Coordinating Center (RFCC) in the state of Wyoming; the Wyoming Women’s Health Coordinating Center.
The mission of the Wyoming Women’s Health Coordinating Center at WYHC was to identify, coordinate and leverage a network of new and/or existing resources to facilitate access to a range of health and wellness services for women and their families living in rural/frontier Wyoming. Our goals were to: (1) identify Wyoming women’s most pressing health issues and (2) develop strategies to facilitate access to adequate health care and other health and wellness services for women and their families. In addition to our association with DHHS / OWH we also worked closely with the Region VIII Office on Women’s Health (Denver) and many state and local level partners.
In 2006 and 2007 the Wyoming Women’s Health Coordinating Center, working with our many partners, developed and conducted a variety of women’s health projects:
- Red Bandana Campaign / Women’s Heart Health Workshops
- Statewide Women’s Health Video Conferences
- Women’s Advocacy Workshops
- Women and Girl’s Health Summit
- Wyoming Women & Girls Wellness Walks and Health Expos
- Parish Nurse / Faith Community Nurse training and networking
- Women’s Focus Group Project
Some of these projects were further developed into modules that are now available to communities, at no charge, to assist them to with implementing their own women’s health events. Additional coordinating center activities included the creation of this web site and the development of a statewide resource directory.
With the conclusion of the federal contract in December 2007, WYHC has re-focused the coordinating center initiative toward: (1) serving as a voice for rural / frontier women’s health issues, (2) providing a health information and resource center for women and girls of all ages as well as community members, health care professionals and other women’s health advocates, and (3) developing and supporting Wyoming’s state wide Parish / Faith Community Nurse Network.
The Wyoming Health Council, located in Cheyenne, WY is a private 501 (c) 3 non-profit health care administrative agency, established in 1990. WYHC’s mission is to “assure access to comprehensive, high quality voluntary family planning and other health care services in Wyoming.” As such, WYHC provides oversight of Wyoming’s Title X Family Planning Clinics and the Wyoming Migrant Health Program operated out of Powell, WY. In addition, WYHC offers a variety of health education training opportunities on an ongoing basis. Check out the WYHC web site at www.wyhc.org or contact us at 307-632-3640 for more information. |
