Records of the Women's Community Health Center, 1953-1987 (inclusive), 1973-1981 (bulk)

The collection contains committee meeting notes, correspondence, financial records, staff schedules, staff writings, press releases, public service announcements, printed material, and mailings. Also included is training material for staff on women's health issues, workshop and conference planning material, as well as patient forms, questionnaires, and evaluations. In addition, the collection contains material from other women's health clinics and organizations concerned with women's issues.

Folder headings created by the staff of the WCHC have been retained; the archivist’s notes are in square brackets. Loose materials were sorted and combined with the existing record system.

The records of the WCHC document the work of many women. Their efforts can be witnessed throughout the collection, particularly in the areas of correspondence, meeting notes, and writings. Because so many women were involved in the WCHC, an organization that functioned as a collective, evidence of their work appears throughout the collection and their names are not indicated on individual folder titles. Some of the women whose work is documented in this collection are listed below. Please note that this is not a complete list of WCHC staff.

Judy Abelow, Cookie (Frances) Avrin, Susan Bell, Davi Birnbaum, Jennifer Burgess, Joan Caly, Terry Courtney, Catherine DeLorey, Paula Garbarino, Gail Goldstein, Barbara Johnston, Martha Kleinerman, Devra Krassner, Terry Plumb Mason, Tavia Mead, Martha Radford, Janice A. Singer, Elizabeth Sommers, Sherry Weingart, Sally Welsh, Jill Wolhandler, and Ana Valente.

Series I, Administrative (#1.1-7.3), contains material relating to the administrative functions of the WCHC. Series I is divided into seven subseries:

Subseries A, History (#1.1-1.12), contains case studies and overviews of the WCHC, some written by staff members. Also included are meeting notes from the founding meeting, notes regarding the 1979 restructuring of the WCHC, and correspondence, audiotapes, notes, and clippings relating to the closing of the WCHC. The records are arranged chronologically. Information regarding the history of the WCHC can also be found in the annual reports (Series I, Subseries B).

Subseries B, Annual Reports (#1.13), contains annual reports for the WCHC, 1975-1977, and 1979.

Subseries C, Committees and Meetings(#1.14-4.2), consists of meeting notes and minutes from the WCHC's various committees. Included in this subseries are "business," "general staff," and "full group" meeting notes (which were meetings attended by the entire staff). Correspondence, articles, printed material, reports, etc., are mixed in with many of the meeting notes. Two sets of notes were found for the advisory board. The notes were combined and an attempt was made to keep supporting documents with the notes. Supporting material that could not be matched to a particular meeting has been retained in a folder following the advisory board notes. Meeting notes were kept in binders for viewing by other staff members. Some curriculum and training meeting notes can be found with the business meeting notes. The records are arranged alphabetically. Meeting notes for the founding meeting, as well audiotapes of a meeting with WCHC staff and the community regarding the closing of the center can be found in Series I, Subseries A. Meeting notes for the personnel committee can be found in Series I, Subseries E; meeting notes for the the licensing committee can be found in Series I, Subseries F; and meeting notes for the conference committee can be found in Series II, Subseries D.

Subseries D, Financial (#4.3-4.6), contains two ledgers detailing the finances of the WCHC and federal quarterly reports. In addition, it contains copies of grant applications and accompanying correspondence, as well as letters from donors, many who were patients of the clinic (their names have been redacted to protect their privacy). The records are arranged alphabetically.

Subseries E, Personnel (#4.7-5.14), contains job postings, staff lists, charts of work statistics, staff skill evaluations, and notes from personnel committee meetings. Also included is a transcript of an interview which was part of a lawsuit brought by a patient against the WCHC and a letter regarding the termination of an employee; both are closed until January 1, 2050. Staff work schedules are documented through personal time, or "tally," sheets (mostly undated), and monthly and weekly wall calendars. These monthly and weekly wall calendars show job assignments, committee meetings, and WCHC events. Many of them were oversize, on acidic paper, taped with pressure sensitive tape, and damaged by insects or rodents; these calendars have been trimmed for storage purposes, and the most fragile were photocopied and the originals were discarded. Documents containing the names of job applicants have been redacted or removed and are closed until January 1, 2050. The records are arranged alphabetically. Health workers' experience-sharing meeting notes can be found in Series I, Subseries C.

Subseries F, Licensure (#6.1-6.13), contains correspondence, applications, certificates, memos, committee meeting notes, and forms related to the clinic licensure process. Also included are mailings and chronologies sent to WCHC supporters and press coverage of the center's efforts to obtain its license, including clippings, radio transcripts, and a press release. The records are arranged alphabetically.

Subseries G, Correspondence (#6.14-7.3), contains correspondence from patients, women who attended WCHC presentations, former staff members, and women's health activists from various organizations. In addition, there are requests for information and replies from the center, and well as mailings providing updates on activities at the WCHC. Patient names have been redacted to protect their privacy. Also included are two logs of incoming mail. The records are arranged chronologically. Correspondence can be found throughout the collection; for example, correspondence related to the clinic licensure process can be found in Series I, Subseries F, and correspondence with members of organizations can be found with their organizations in Series III. General mailings for publicity purposes can be found in Series II, Subseries E.

Series II, Activities (#7.4-13.13), contains material related to the medical and educational programs and activities of the WCHC. Series II is divided into five subseries:

Subseries A, Patient Forms and Evaluations (#7.4-11.5), consists of completed medical forms and patient evaluations of WCHC medical services. These included general evaluation forms, which covered all types of medical services, and specific evaluation forms for abortions and participatory health sessions (for group healthcare). These evaluation forms provide insight into the patient's feelings regarding her experiences at the WCHC. In addition, there are pregnancy screening forms, medical "herstory" forms for pregnancy screenings, telephone counseling forms, and patient referral forms. There are also staff notes analyzing the feedback provided by the abortion questionnaires. Forms and evaluations with visible patient names have been redacted and the originals are closed until January 1, 2050. The records are arranged alphabetically.

Subseries B, Staff Training (#11.6-12.2), contains material used to train WCHC staff, including articles, clippings, printed material, and papers. Also included are notes from curriculum meetings and staff training schedules, instructions, and job responsibilities. The records are arranged alphabetically, with a folder of printed material about various women's health issues listed at the end of the subseries.

Subseries C, Workshops and Presentations (#12.3-12.9), contains teaching outlines, charts, printed material, participant intake forms, and class handouts related to various workshops and presentations offered by the WCHC. Forms with class participant names and medical information have been redacted and the originals are closed until January 1, 2050. Also included are meeting notes regarding health services and programs, and a folder with correspondence and a position paper related to the pelvic teaching program. Finally, there are two video tapes used in WCHC presentations: the "Well Woman Exam," created by the WCHC, and the "Woman Controlled Abortion," created by the Los Angeles Feminist Women's Health Center. The records are arranged alphabetically.

Subseries D, Conferences (#12.10-12.20), contains material related to conferences presented by the WCHC, particularly Women's Health Weekend. Included is planning material, budgets, notes, programs, correspondence, session feedback and evaluations, and conference committee meeting notes. In addition, there are notes, letters, and printed material from conferences attended by staff. The records are arranged alphabetically.

Subseries E, Outreach (#13.1-13.13), contains publicity, such as advertisements, pamphlets, stickers, flyers, press releases, and mailings. Also included are staff writings, press releases, public service announcements, and medical fact sheets, as well as articles and clippings about the WCHC. Finally, there is testimony by the WCHC regarding the Massachusetts State Health Plan. The records are arranged alphabetically. Publicity related to the clinic licensure process can be found in Series I, Subseries F.

Series III, Related Organizations (#14.1-18.20), contains material related to feminist health clinics and organizations. Series III is divided into two subseries:

Subseries A, Feminist Health Clinics (#14.1-15.14), contains correspondence, printed material, mailings, press releases, notes, minutes, budgets, statistics, grant applications, and lists of members of women's health clinics. Most of the material is related to the federation of Feminist Women's Health Centers, a network with which the WCHC had close ties. Included here is material documenting the "harassment" of these clinics by government and media, such as the investigation of the Los Angeles Feminist Women's Health Center by the California State Department of Consumer Affairs. The records are arranged alphabetically, with a folder of material regarding various health clinics listed at the end of the subseries. Material from the FWHC providers is located throughout the collection: training material can be found in in Series II, Subseries B; the "Woman Controlled Abortion" videotape can be found in Series II, Series C; and conference material can be found in Series II, Subseries D. In addition, there is some overlap with Series III, Subseries B, as many of these clinics were involved in WATCH (Women Acting Together to Combat Harassment).

Subseries B, Organizations (#15.15-18.20), contains correspondence, printed material, mailings, reports, notes, minutes, budgets, press releases, member lists, and testimonies. Most of the organizations are devoted to women's issues and health, and range from small, local, grass roots groups to large national organizations. Included here is information about WATCH (Women Acting Together to Combat Harassment) and Abortion Rights Movement of Women's Liberation (ARM). The records are arranged alphabetically, with two folders of material regarding various organizations listed at the end of the subseries.