MEET YOUR NONPROFITS | This is the first in a series profiling the ongoing work of Yellow Springs-based nonprofit organizations.
By Alissa Paolella
After a local woman lost her dental insurance midway through major surgery — leaving her without teeth and facing mounting bills — a volunteer with the Yellow Springs-based Feminist Health Fund saw her story on television and reached out. The nonprofit helped cover part of her care so she could continue treatment and eat comfortably again.
Stories like that are increasingly common, according to Feminist Health Fund board president Ann Cooper, who said requests for dental assistance have grown in recent years.
"We've seen a steady stream of requests for dental," Cooper said. "It's very expensive, and even if you have insurance, sometimes people have these enormous out-of-pocket expenses."
Now in its fourth decade, the Feminist Health Fund provides direct financial assistance to women facing unaffordable health care costs including prescriptions, diagnostic testing, dental care and trauma recovery. The organization, founded in 1980 after friends raised money for a local woman with cancer, remains entirely volunteer-run and supported primarily by individual community donations, according to previous News coverage.
The nonprofit's seven-member board includes volunteers with backgrounds in research, journalism, insurance and technology.
"We each bring something different," Cooper said.
The group has no application deadlines and accepts requests year-round through its website or direct contact. Instead of reimbursing applicants, the fund pays providers directly, allowing women to choose their own providers and treatments.
"We trust women to make their own choices," Cooper said. "We are not able to replace health insurance, but we can fill a gap that helps you keep going."
While the organization began serving Yellow Springs residents, it now assists women across Greene County, with some support extended to adjacent counties. Most applications come from Yellow Springs, Xenia and Fairborn.
The fund also partners with local groups and events, including a public health resource fair in Fairborn and collaborations with faith-based organizations and community nonprofits.
"We find that sometimes we discover ways that we can work together," Cooper said. "Or they will direct people to us."
Alongside dental care, the fund has seen increased requests for medications and diagnostic testing in recent years. Some applicants work within the health care system themselves.
"Last year, we had two or three people who applied who were nurses," Cooper said, noting that one nurse had to reduce her hours because of illness and lost employer-provided insurance. "The ironies are kind of staggering."
Other applicants are awaiting Medicaid approval but need medication immediately. In one case, a volunteer paid for a prescription so a woman could continue treatment while her coverage was pending.
Cooper said the fund's name reflects its mission to address persistent gender disparities in healthcare access.
"It helps us to focus on individuals who identify as women," she said, noting that applicants include transgen-der women and gender-nonconforming individuals. "Our approach is, you are who you say you are."
A 2024 Commonwealth Fund analysis found that American women face some of the highest rates of skipping or delaying care because of cost compared with peers in other high-income nations.
"We know that healthier women mean healthier communities," Cooper said. "When you have women who are able to function as family members, as employees, as engaged community members, the whole community does benefit."
More than 90% of the fund's donations come from individuals. Beyond financial contributions, Cooper said residents can help by spreading awareness.
"If you know a woman who's having trou-ble accessing health care because of the expense, please refer her to us," she said.
Even modest grants can have a profound impact, Cooper added.
"What seems like a small amount of assistance, from our perspective, can be really big for the person who receives it."
For more information, email info@feministhealthfund.org or call 937-767-8949.
*Alissa Paolella is a local resident and freelance writer for the News.
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