Arizona Rural Health Women's Network

**About Us** In Arizona’s rural areas, there is a lack of healthcare information, services, and accessibility specifically designed to reach women, who are the key conduits for health care and wellness within their families. As a result there are health disparities among rural women themselves and their associated family members. Arizona is the nation’s sixth largest state in terms of land area, with rural residents widely dispersed in many small communities. The Rural Health Information Hub has reported that women in rural areas face higher rates of chronic diseases and a greater risk of death from diabetes than their male counterparts, and encounter greater barriers to health care access as a result of poverty, lack of or under-insurance, lack of public transit, geographic isolation, and reduced access to health care providers (Rural Health Information Hub, 2005). In rural Arizona, these circumstances are made more complex by the state’s diverse mix of cultures, languages and health literacy levels. The Arizona Rural Health Women’s Network (AzRWHN) was established to find solutions to address these issues. AzRWHN is a collaborative partnership facilitated by the Arizona Alliance for Community Health Centers of four of Arizona’s Area Health Education Centers in conjunction with other key state and nonprofit organizations involved in rural and/or women’s health. The Network’s mission is to build our network partners’ capacity to cultivate and promote innovative policies and practices that improve the health of women in rural Arizona. Through three strategic directions the Network intends to achieve the following goals: 1) Develop, grow and sustain the AzRWHN 2) Strengthen the capacity of AzRWHN Members to improve health information and services for women in rural Arizona and 3) Raise awareness of Arizona rural women’s health concerns among health service providers, policy makers and leaders. ****Our Mission**** To build our network partners’ capacity to cultivate and promote innovative policies, practices, and services that improve the health of women in rural Arizona. ****Our Vision**** Women in rural Arizona will experience optimal health and wellness.