A State Policy Brief from the National University-Based Collaborative on Justice-Involved Women and Children (JIWC) October 2024 Executive Summary: Women are the fastest-growing population of incarcerated individuals within the U.S. The criminal legal system impacts the reproductive health and rights of incarcerated individuals and their families. We analyzed states’ death penalty laws and execution protocols […]
Category: Women's Health
State Laws on Adequate Nutrition for People Who Are Pregnant While Incarcerated
A State Policy Brief from the National University-Based Collaborative on Justice-Involved Women & Children (JIWC) March 2024 Executive Summary: No federal statutes cover prenatal nutrition for incarcerated pregnant people and fewer than one-third of U.S. states have passed laws requiring health-promoting nutrition policies for pregnant people who are incarcerated. Of the 16 states that have […]
Website Launch: Our Bodies Ourselves Today at Suffolk University
Our Bodies Ourselves Today has recently launched its new website to uphold the legacy of Our Bodies Ourselves books which began in May 1969 by a group of women in Boston who wanted to gain a better understanding of their bodies, lives, and relationships. The original 1970 publication was a 193-page book on stapled newsprint […]
Resource: After Incarceration: A Guide To Helping Women Reenter the Community
This guide created by SAMHSA shares how people who provide or coordinate reentry programs can adequately serve previously incarcerated women. The guide contains both an overview each topic and additional resources. The guide is in a checklist format, so it is both concise and informative.
Resource: Addressing the Needs of Incarcerated Mothers and Their Children in Illinois
This resource, provided by Chapin Hall, shares a variety of information on incarcerated women including: demographic information, descriptions of parenting prior to and during incarceration, information on pregnancy and birth programs, mental health service needs, and more! This resource is comprehensive and a great reference for incarceration facilities, as well as organizations that serve incarcerated […]
Resource: Sexual Violence
This website provides videos, webinars, reports, charts, trainings, and external resources regarding sexual violence. It includes information for individuals working with women, men, and people with disabilities who have experienced sexual violence. Additionally, one video is geared towards survivors.
Resource: Toxic Stress
The Center of the Developing Child (Harvard University) produced this video to describe toxic stress, how it can impact children and adults, and steps to mitigate toxic stress for an individual or a community. This video is focused on parents and children, but also includes information for policy makers and practitioners. They also produced the […]
Resource: 4th Trimester Project
The 4th Trimester Project is an amazing resource for new moms. This resource aims to be inclusive of all bodies and mothers, including transgender and non-binary people. It incorporates information on many postpartum topics, such as self-care after birth, how to build a support network, caring for your child, and videos experiences from other mothers. […]
Resource: Health Actions for Women
Health Actions for Women addresses the social factors that prevent women and girls from enjoying healthy lives. This guide offers proven strategies to help women and men facilitate community discussions and action, even in challenging settings where organizing for women’s health is difficult or dangerous. The illustrated stories and activities in this guide encourage and strengthen […]
Resource: Gender Policy Report on Breastfeeding
Shortly after giving birth, many employed women return to the workplace while still in the process of breastfeeding. The Surgeon General and National Institutes of Health have called for a more supportive work environment that arranges accommodations for mothers returning after leave. The Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, provides a section that […]
Resource: Supporting Maternal Mental Health in Public Health Nutrition Practice
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, more than 400,000 infants are born to mothers who are depressed each year. Perinatal depression is the most underdiagnosed obstetric complication in the United States. The Association of State Public Health Nutritionists (ASPHN) released its latest brief on the topic of maternal mental health, titled “Supporting Maternal Mental […]
Resource: Toolkit for Improving Perinatal Safety
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) developed the Safety Program for Perinatal Care (SPPC) toolkit in order to improve the patient safety culture of labor and delivery units, and to decrease maternal and neonatal adverse events resulting from poor communication and system failures. The SPPC is organized around three program pillars, which include teamwork […]
Resource: Tips for Women’s Health (Podcast)
In May 2017 Dr. Wendy Hellerstedt, MCH Graduate Program Director, was featured in the School of Public Health’s 90-second podcast about what women need to know about staying healthy. Read a partial transcript here.
Resource: Recommendations for Preventive Services for Women–Abridged Report
The Women’s Preventive Services Initiative (WPSI), a collaborative effort between health professional societies and consumer organizations that are experts in women’s health, recently released the 34-page Abridged Report, Recommendations for Preventive Services for Women. Presented by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), it was submitted to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, […]
Report: Acting on the Call–Ending Preventable Child & Maternal Deaths
Together with country partners, international organizations and non-governmental organizations from around the globe, USAID is working to end preventable child and maternal deaths within our generation, in support of the global movement Every Woman Every Child. USAID’s Acting on the Call: Ending Preventable Child and Maternal Deaths report details the U.S. Government’s commitment to this […]