High insurance premiums, lack of benefits for routine medical procedures, difficulty communicating with physicians about health problems . . . The state of Georgia is on the case.

The Office of Women's Health in the Georgia Department of Community Health has researched women and women's health issues for the past several years and has provided a variety of solutions and resources to help women across the state.For the fourth year, the state has hosted Celebrate Healthy Living, a Woman's Journey to Wellness, for consumer and health care providers. This year's conference was held in Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center at the end of September and included information about nutrition, mental health, physical activity, healthy lifestyles for young women, disease prevention, life-balance and energy. The two-day conference is just one initiatives of

The state's Office of Women's Health waswhich until recently was directed by Dee Baldwin, Ph.D., RN, FAAN. She now serves on the faculty of Georgia State University's College of Nursing.

The purpose of the office is to raise awareness of women's nonreproductive health issues; inform and engage in prevention and education activities relating to women's nonreproductive health issues; serve as a clearinghouse for women's health information for purposes of planning and coordination; issue reports of the office's activities and findings; and develop and distribute a state comprehensive plan to address women's health issues.

Focus groups and statewide surveys helped the office determine key issues important to women in the health care arena. These included the need for more information about women's health issues, the high costs of health insurance, the availability of coverages for female-specific conditions and the quality of the relationships female patients have with their doctors.

"Women rated their physicians very well, but they reported that being able to ask questions or take extra time during an examination was lacking," Baldwin said. "They said their physicians seemed rushed or didn't give them enough information about their conditions."

The department has also created a women's health information center on the Internet, which includes links for consumers and health care providers to the latest information about key women's health issues, such as cardiovascular disease, the No. 1 killer of women in the nation according to the American Heart Association.

One out of every 28 women dies from breast cancer, while almost one in every two women dies from cardiovascular disease," according to the state's Web site (www.communityhealth.state.ga.us).

As a result, the Office of Women's Health has begun hosting health fairs across the state to help minimize the risks of cardiovascular disease in women.

For Baldwin, her move from state government into academia has helped her change the way she views women's health.

"Now I'm teaching about social issues, economic challenges and the political realities of women's health care, along with information about physical conditions," she said. "I want students to know that providing care goes beyond the acute setting of a hospital."

Baldwin said she wishes that nurses would become more involved in the political process and community nonprofit organizations.

"Men in government don't understand women's health care issues," she said. "We need to set priorities to give more attention to women's health."