Group to Study Female Health Needs : Advocacy: Officials of the new Valley coalition say problems of poor and working-class women are often overlooked.

The formation of a coalition to study and deal with the health problems of poor and working-class women was announced Thursday by three northeastern San Fernando Valley organizations.

“We were alarmed that studies almost always center on men,” said Lucki Baxter of Planned Parenthood during a news conference at San Fernando City Hall. “Don’t we count? Don’t we get sick, too?

“Nobody’s paying attention to our needs,” she said.

Also involved in the coalition’s formation is the Valley chapter of the National Organization for Women and the North Valley YWCA.

Of special concern to the three organizations is what they see as a lack of available prenatal care, education about sexually transmitted diseases, especially AIDS, and screening for and education about breast cancer, the women said.

“There is a need for more care that is culturally sensitive and financially available,” Baxter said.

For example, she said, many women past child-bearing age in poorer and minority communities seldom see their doctors. “That’s why more of them get breast cancer and die,” she said.

Older women tend to “fall through the cracks” in poorer communities, Baxter added.

Linda Jauron of the YWCA said statistics gathered by the three groups indicate that breast cancer is the leading cause of death among Latina women. She said blacks and Latinas have a greater incidence of acquired immune deficiency syndrome than other women in the United States.

“But little education about AIDS and breast cancer is available to them,” Jauron said.

Rebecca Wyckoff of NOW said her organization is seeking access to adequate health care for all women. To accomplish that goal, more women legislators must be elected so that “working-class women and women of color will no longer be ignored,” she said.

The women said their first priorities will be to determine the greatest health needs of women in the community, study and publish a directory of services available and develop more services.

“We already see that the need is great,” Baxter said. “I suspect we’ll see much more before we’re through.”

Among other needs identified are contraceptive education and distribution, menopausal services, easily available Pap smears, education about breast cancer symptoms and other preventive services, the women said.

Jauron said the coalition hopes to attract groups of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds, health-care providers and interested individuals to help identify the most urgent women’s health concerns.

“We want everybody’s input,” she said.

Meet Each Need with Dignity (MEND), a Pacoima agency that provides health screenings, the National Council of Negro Women, El Proyecto del Barrio and others already have expressed interest, Jauron said.

“I do not see doctors who got their experience working on the poor serving the poor,” said one woman at the news conference who asked not to be identified. “I think it’s time for us to go after this group and their conscience.”