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Government Agencies and Organizations Providing Women’s Health Services
There are multiple federal agencies that were set up to help vulnerable populations,
including women with various needs. They include Food and Nutrition Service whose Special
Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) which gives grants
to states to purchase supplemental foods for low income pregnant women, breastfeeding
mothers, and infants (Women’s Bureau, 2020). Another agency is Office of Women’s Health
(OWH). It partners with professional organizations and health advocates to promote the health
of women (Women’s Bureau, 2020). The Office of Research on Women’s Health is another
federal agency that deals with women’s health. It promotes the health of women by
conducting research on conditions and health problems that disproportionately affect women
(Women’s Bureau, 2020).
Apart from federal agencies, many non-profit organizations are also involved n
providing services that improve the health outcomes of women. The most prominent one is
perhaps Planned Parenthood. The non-profit organization was founded in New York in 1916
(Planned Parenthood, 2020). Since its founding, it has grown into a major national and global
organization that provides various women health’s services. Like it is the case in many places
in the country, Planned Parenthood is active in my area of Manassas in the state of Virginia.
The organization offers a wide range of reproductive health services in the area. These
services include pregnancy testing, birth control, screening of cervical cancer, sex education,
and testing and treatment of various diseases that are sexually transmitted (Planned
Parenthood, 2020).
The large number of federal agencies and non-profit organizations whose work is
focused on improving women’s health shows how seriously society takes the issue of

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women’s health. Providing women with adequate health services that address their unique
needs helps them to be full participants of social, political, and economic development of the
society.

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References

Planned Parenthood (2020). Who We Are. Retrieved on April 3, 2020 from
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/who-we-are
Women’s Bureau (2020). Federal Agency Resources for Women. U.S Department of Labor.
Retrieved on April 3, 2020 from https://www.dol.gov/wb/otherfedagencies.htm