Last Updated: March 10, 2025
RICHMOND, Va. —Richmond and Henrico Health Districts (RHHD) commemorate International Women’s Day on March 8 by highlighting services for women offered at RHHD clinics, offices, and Resource Centers.
“On this International Women’s Day, Richmond and Henrico Health Districts lift up the importance of providing women, mothers, and families with the support they need to live more healthy lives,” said Richmond and Henrico Health Districts Director of Community Programming Margo Webb. “Services like Maternity Navigation and WIC connect pregnant women and new mothers to essential resources.”
RHHD offers the following programs and services that focus on women’s health:
Improving access to maternal health
- The Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides nutrition education and healthy foods to improve pregnancy outcomes and enable families to make lifelong healthy eating and lifestyle choices.
- The Maternity Navigation team supports expectant parents with pregnancy confirmation, care connection, benefits enrollment, and materials distribution.
Increasing awareness about chronic disease management
- As part of the VDH Healthy Hearts Initiative, RHHD Chronic Disease Community Health Workers support community members with hypertensive conditions by providing:
- Connections to primary care providers
- Nutrition and exercise education
- Blood pressure monitoring
- Gender inequality impacts heart attack fatalities.
- People who responded to the 2024 Community Health Assessment identified Chronic Disease as a top concern. The Community Health Improvement Plan Chronic Disease Committee started work in February 2025.
Reducing stigma about mental health
- People who responded to the 2024 Community Health Assessment cited ‘Mental Health Issues’ as a top concern. The Community Health Improvement Plan Committee on Mental Health, including Substance Use Disorder started work in February 2025.
Expanding access to healthcare
- RHHD Resource Centers offer a variety of clinical and community health services in Richmond’s public housing communities and in the Southwood Apartments. All services are available to anyone, and cost is based on a sliding scale. Of those who accessed Resource Center services in 2024, nearly 78% were women.
- RHHD clinical services accept Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance. RHHD also participates in Virginia Vaccines for Children and Virginia Vaccines for Adults, providing free immunizations to children and adults who are uninsured or underinsured.
- RHHD connects women to primary care providers that focus on women’s health.
Ensuring women have control over reproductive health
- National Women and Girls HIV Awareness Day is March 10.
- RHHD offers Family Planning and STI clinical services at its Cary Street and Henrico East clinics, as well select Resource Centers. All services are offered on a sliding scale based on financial availability. Family Planning visits offer the following services:
- Gynecological check-ups for women desiring birth control
- Breast self-exam instruction
- Pap smears and screening tests for sexually transmitted infections
- Birth control methods & counseling
- RHHD also offers HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) services at its Henrico East Clinic and Cary Street Clinic. PrEP is a medication that reduces a person’s chances of getting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Virginia residents can contact the RHHD PrEP team at 804-664-2125.
Addressing social and economic inequalities
- RHHD Resource Centers provide connection to health, economic, social, and educational resources. Resource Center based Community Health Workers led 108 support groups and classes, including those for women and girls, and distributed 200 car seats to expecting families in 2024.
‘Accelerate Action,’ the theme of International Women’s Day 2025, focuses on the need the importance of taking swift and decisive steps to achieve gender equality. It calls for increased momentum and urgency in addressing the systemic barriers and biases that women face, both in personal and professional spheres.
Follow RHHD on Instagram at @richmondcity_hd for more International Women’s Day content. For more health and safety information, visit rhhd.gov and sign up for RHHD’s monthly newsletter at rhhd.gov/news.
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