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As A Woman: What families should know By Celena E. Kusch
	Three times each year, between 15,000 and 25,000 women throughout the Commonwealth receive the latest health information on issues important to them. As A Woman, the triannual newsletter of the Penn State Women’s Health Center, is designed to meet community demand for educational outreach in women’s health. Dr. Ruth Leventhal, professor of biology and former provost and dean of Penn State Harrisburg, serves as editor.   “As A Woman encourages women to take a more proactive role in decisions about their health and the health of their families,” Leventhal said.   Made possible by a grant from the Friends of Women’s Health (see story), the publication reaches women throughout Penn State and at the Women’s Health Center, regional libraries and major businesses. Recently, education administrators have also expressed an interest in distributing As A Woman through the schools.   The theme for each newsletter covers a current topic in women’s health, such as osteoporosis, domestic violence and cardiovascular disease. The articles are inclusive of all stages of life from childhood to maturity and are written by doctors and nurses who are experts in the field.   Units throughout The Milton S. Hershey Medical Center have felt the impact of the publication. Leventhal coordinates publication with relevant centers and hotline services that report increased calls to hotline numbers mentioned in the newsletter. The Cardiovascular Center, for example, noted that client feedback increased after the publication of the As A Woman issue on cardiovascular disease.   According to Leventhal, the outcomes of the newsletter are in helping women to better understand and assess if the health news they read every day in the popular press is based on good research, in providing them with the latest accurate information and in empowering them to feel freer to ask questions of their doctors and pharmacists.
© 2002 Outreach Communications,   Outreach & Cooperative Extension,   The Pennsylvania State University phone: (814) 865-8108,   fax: (814) 863-2765,   e-mail: outreachnews@outreach.psu.edu