Accessibility to health education can seem unattainable. However, despite the amount of published media circulating, some people are still incredibly unaware when it comes to women’s health. The Women’s Health Initiative was created by students at Ohio University for that reason.
Lila Krawiec, a sophomore studying biological sciences pre-professional, serves as the president for the Women’s Health Initiative. They said that they are currently exploring fundraising, volunteering and advocacy events. In the future, Krawiec hopes to collaborate with Athens Birth Circle to fundraise.
Krawiec said the club focuses more on big events instead of weekly meetings.
“We’re still in the planning stages for a lot of the stuff,” Krawiec said. “But it’s mostly going to be five or six events a semester.”
Abby Henry, a sophomore studying human development and family sciences, is the Women’s Health Initiative recruitment chair. She said they are also open to arrange smaller gatherings like coffee get-togethers to meet new people who support women’s health.
“It’s obviously important and stuff like that,” Henry said. “It’s also a good social thing and meeting new people who care about the same things and similar majors."
Sara Fox, a sophomore studying cellular molecular biology pre-professional, is the vice president of the Women’s Health Initiative. Fox described the organization’s events as educational, while providing volunteer opportunities and community outreach.
The organization recently had its first meeting of the year and is planning a coffee social in the next couple of weeks. A guest speaker will also be coming in early October. Krawiec said the guest speaker is an OB-GYN resident and recently graduated from OU’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Fox emphasized that it doesn’t matter one’s major or gender to join the club. If someone is interested in learning more, they are welcome to get involved.
“If you have sisters or mothers, any female family members and you’re like, ‘Oh I just want to know more for reference,’ or you want to know more about yourself,” Fox said. “Anyone who’s passionate about it can join; major doesn’t matter.”
Fox said she was interested in participating, and she has seen so much discourse in the media on women’s health and the education surrounding it.
“I feel like on social media there's been so much circulating, like 'women should do this,' 'women should do that,' 'this is better for your health,' but everything's so up in the air,” Fox said. “So, when Lila started this, I was like, ‘This is a good way to kind of neutralize things, especially for people our age.’”
All three women hope to spread awareness and to further students’ knowledge about women’s health and healthcare.
“I wanted to build a community of people that cared about women in Athens and women around us that might not be getting the healthcare they deserve,” Krawiec said.
Krawiec said donating blood is a simple, but impactful, act to support the women in the Athens area, as well as others. For those interested, blood drives are easily accessible across OU’s campus. There will be several throughout September, and one can learn more by exploring the American Red Cross schedule and website.
Donating blood is just one of the many routes toward the exploration of women’s health research, as there are many other ways to stay informed about women’s health. Krawiec said taking note of your own health and getting involved is a great way to stay aware on health matters.
Selfcare comes first, but Krawiec said getting involved with the community can allow women to look out for one another.
“If somebody isn't able to get proper healthcare, be aware of that,” Krawiec said. “You know, don't just overlook.”
Krawiec said the Women’s Health Initiative is aimed to be flexible for students' schedules. If students are interested, they can contact the group through their Instagram page, @womenshealthintiative, Bobcat Connect or join their GroupMe to become an official member.
gs349725@ohio.edu
