The Pacific Institute for Women's Health (PIWH), a 501(c)(3), was founded in 1993, by a group of feminist researchers and public health experts who were dedicated to addressing a wide range of pressing health and rights issues affecting women and girls around the world. Recently, PIWH has gone through a process of reinvention and revitalization. We are a small, flexible and creative team, excited about our new agenda, and strongly focused on quality programs with the potential to influence the work of others. As a small NGO without a large budget, every grant is highly valued and our resources are used as wisely and effectively as possible.

The mission of the Pacific Institute for Women's Health is to increase the ability of women and young people to make informed decisions about and control their sexuality and reproduction. Because we believe that individual and social power are essential to achieving health and social justice for all, our work is focused on addressing the intersection of power, sexuality and health.

May 2008

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

We are excited to announce that after a year-long exploration process funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Pharmacy Access Partnership and the Pacific Institute for Women's Health (PIWH) have decided to merge under the nonprofit umbrella of the PIWH 501(c)(3), effective May 2, 2008.

It is our vision that together, both organizations will be stronger and more effective. After the merger, current PIWH Executive Director Magaly Marques, MA, will use her international experience to head the global arm of PIWH, while Pharmacy Access Partnership will become a major division of PIWH led by Sharon Cohen Landau, MPH. Current Pharmacy Access Partnership Executive Director Belle Taylor-McGhee will serve as PIWH President and CEO.

Pharmacy Access Partnership wants to acknowledge the excellent support it has received from the Public Health Institute (PHI) since the inception of Pharmacy Access Partnership in 1999. The partnership with PHI won't end with the merger - we fully expect our collaboration with PHI to lead us in new and exciting directions in the future.

Under the new structure, we will continue PIWH's legacy on both the domestic and international front to help shape policies that:

• Promote women's access to safe and effective contraception and other reproductive technologies, including medical abortion
• Expand access to sexuality education that includes contraception information, and respects gender equality
• Support women's and girls' leadership in protecting their sexual and reproductive health
• Value healthcare access as a basic human right

We will advance our work via:

• Advocacy and Public Policy
• Research
• Training, Education and Media Outreach
• New Program Development
• Capacity Building

All phone numbers and physical addresses for Pharmacy Access Partnership and PIWH offices (Oakland and Los Angeles) will remain the same. Email contact information for PIWH staff will remain the same, and emails for all Pharmacy Access Partnership staff will change, effective May 2, 2008:

We hope you will share our excitement about our newly joined forces!