Dear Virginia Health Policy Makers:

We in the Commonwealth depend on you to protect and foster our health. You are proposing new regulations on outpatient health clinics for women which will do exactly the opposite. I urge you to return to your mission and not be influenced by those wanting to restrict access to such clinics for religious reasons.

I worked for decades in State Boards of Maternal and Child Health. For many women, annual gynecological exams and testing are the only preventative health care they receive. Mothers, rich and poor, are notorious for neglecting their own health in favor of the health of their children. The clinics on which the new regulations apply are often the only facilities providing affordable care for women. The new regulations will result in increased costs for facilities; as with any business, these costs will be passed on as increased fees to clients. How does this provide additional protection for women when the health histories of the existing facilities are already high-quality and safe?

Finally, I remind you of the proverb, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” To restrict access to preventative healthcare will only increase the likelihood of greater medical problems later. Medical and support social services to pay for cancer and diseases are far greater than the expenses paid up front for preventative healthcare.

Respectfully,

Catherine Brooks

Reston, VA 20191