Women's Health Background Information

In 2002, the California State Legislature passed Assembly Concurrent resolution 174 which established May as Women's Health Month in California. Each year since 2002, the California Office of Women's Health (OWH) has sponsered Women's Health Month statewide.

The purpose of Women's Health Month 2010 is threefold:

• To increase public awareness of significant women's health issues.
• To educate and empower women to act as their own health advocates.
• To promote and improve the health and wellbeing of women in California.

Women's Health Month is a statewide annual public awareness campaign that coordinates health fairs, health check-ups and other local activities that are anchored by the women's health month theme and promotional materials provided by the Office of Women's Health. Each year we have over 50-100 clinics, providers, CBOs, universities, colleges, the Mexican Consulate, and others host women's health month events throughout the state. These activities reach over 32,000 women each year during the Month of May. The awareness campaign continues year round.

Other events include:

Governor and First Lady's Annual Women's Health Conference that reaches 13,000 women.
Business and Professional Women's Conferences that reach 10,000 women.
Public Health Week which reaches over 500 people.
Violence Awareness Month that reaches over 200 people.
Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month that reaches over 300 people.