Although information in the collection about Health Writers' origins is limited, it is known that in 1968, a YWCA conference on women's health concerns prompted a number of Madison women to begin abortion counseling. Meanwhile, eight women in the group expanded that purpose to include research on birth control and health classes for adolescents. This organization was known as the Women's Health Collective.
In 1971, four members of the collective renamed the organization Health Writers, Inc., in order to better reflect their goal of educating a wider public about health issues and health care. In 1972, the organization began publishing Health Newsletter, which reached a national audience. Health Writers evolved into a non-profit organization incorporated under the laws of the State of Wisconsin in 1975. Lea Zeldin, one of the founders and the editor of Health Newsletter, was a member of the Madison Board of Health, the Health Planning Council, and the Appeals Board of the Wisconsin Hospital Rate Review Commission.
Health Writers' internal structure consisted of individual and institutional members, a board of directors and officers, and a staff composed of a publication editor, volunteers, and paid employees. An average of 12-24 members were active in the organization. Though Health Writers' projects were funded by a variety of sources, the most consistent funding came from the Madison Sustaining Fund Foundation. Subscriptions and donations were also an important source of income.
Health Writers was a pioneer in health consumerism and health journalism, and it provided advocacy, information, education, and referral services to the community. It published the monthly Health Newsletter from 1972 to 1983, which addressed current health news and legislative issues, and the supplemental Special Reports, which provided in-depth coverage of controversial health issues such as medical ethics, estrogen, and the Patients' Bill of Rights.
For Health Writers, advocacy meant creative problem-solving rather than mere outreach. Thus, it conducted various kinds of workshops, lectures, and in-service programs. These were directed toward individuals, community groups, agencies and organizations, but particularly to the poor, minorities, women, children, the handicapped, the elderly, and the unemployed. Health Writers was affiliated with the Response to Hunger Network and Senior Health Advocates. It served as the Wisconsin coordinator for the national Hill-Burton task force and sent two representatives to Washington, D.C. to testify about the legislation. In addition, Health Writers initiated the Senior Health Advocacy Project, and it ran complaint and referral services, a health hotline, and a free Community Health Library.
The date of Health Writers' dissolution is unknown.
