The Appalachian Women’s Health Fund (AWHF) is an endowment managed through the Foundation of Appalachian Ohio (FAO).

Mission: Our mission is to serve women & families in Athens and the surrounding Appalachian counties, by providing them with quality health services, preventative care, testing, and health education.

Vision: We plan to invest in quality healthcare for our region’s under-served women & families to provide a reliable foundation for a more vibrant future. The impact will be seen when healthy women & families can trust their access to reliable, affordable health care in our region, enabling them to focus attention on other aspects of their lives.

Priorities: Currently the Appalachian Women’s Health Fund is in its initial stages of fundraising, seeking the support the Fund needs to reach its goal of granting $25,000 to the region annually within two years.

Women are at the heart of our Appalachian Ohio communities. Neighbors, leaders, wives, mothers, and daughters, women are also a central part of the workforce, which makes women’s health vital to the health of our whole region.

Yet women and families in Athens and the surrounding Appalachian counties do not have adequate access to quality health services, preventative care, testing, or health education. The supply of primary care physicians in Appalachian Ohio is 25% lower than the national average, and 30% lower than the rest of Ohio. Our region has an above-average uninsured population, and we see that our region’s citizens have a rate of premature death 28% higher than the national average. The need for quality health care in Appalachian Ohio is great.

The Appalachian Women’s Health Fund (AWHF) is committed to serving women’s health in our region. The Fund plans to invest in quality healthcare for our region’s under-served women and families to provide a reliable foundation for a more vibrant future. The impact will be seen when healthy women and families can trust their access to reliable, affordable health care in our region, enabling them to focus attention on other aspects of their lives.

In its earliest days, the AWHF will support the work of Planned Parenthood’s Athens Health Clinic. Based in Athens and serving 23 counties, this clinic plays a vital role in providing affordable and accessible health care to at-risk populations: 29% of the clinic’s patients live below the poverty line; 89% are 18-34 years old. This clinic serves thousands of women and families (21% of the patients are men) across the region. Supporting the work of this clinic is a first major step toward building up the health of our region’s under-served and at-risk populations.

As the AWHF grows, so will its grantmaking reach, expanding beyond this initial focus to include additional nonprofits, programs, and initiatives focused on supporting women’s health. All gifts to the AWHF will be invested for long-term growth so that the fund’s mission can be protected.

Gifts today will not only make a difference in the near future, but will create tomorrow’s grants to reach across generations. Health is the foundation of prosperity, opportunity, and quality of life. To lift up the women of Appalachian Ohio, it is vital that we invest now in their health.

Gifts to the Fund are tax deductible and can be made in many ways, including cash, bequests, appreciated stocks and life insurance. Donations can be made online through Foundation for Appalachian Ohio by designating the Appalachian Women’s Health Fund. To mail your donation, please designate the Appalachian Women’s Health Fund and mail to PO Box 456, Nelsonville, Ohio 45764.

Together, through the Appalachian Women’s Health Fund, we can invest in the future of our region, our economy, our families, and our children.