Houston, TX – March 1, 2022 – With the start of Blood Clot Awareness Month (BCAM), recognized each year in March, the Rowan Foundation is unveiling its new website and announcing the availability of new resources and plans for the expansion of its educational programming.

“Each year, we recognize Blood Clot Awareness Month as an important opportunity to educate the public about the blood clot risks associated with estrogen-based or hormonal birth control,” explains David Rowan, founder of the Rowan Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working within the clotting community. “This year, we’re proud to unveil our new website, several important new resources, and a number of new and expanded programs.”

The work of the Rowan Foundation, which was established to improve awareness and understanding about hormonal birth control and clotting risks, honors the legacy of Alexandra Rowan, the only child of Rowan and his wife Roz. Alexandra lost her life in 2013, due to a massive pulmonary embolism or blood clot in her lung. Her only known risk factor at the time was hormonal birth control.

“Our Foundation’s work is a constant reminder of the inconsolable sense of loss we experienced,” Rowan stresses. “However, it’s a burden we will bear if our work in any way can help save even just one life or spare even just one family the same type of loss we have endured.”

Sharpened Focus and Strategic Aims
While the organization has been involved in the clotting community since 2014, and previously addressed the clotting risks associated with women’s health in general, including family planning and birth control, pregnancy and childbirth, and the treatment of menopause symptoms, the Rowan Foundation has now sharpened its strategic aims and is narrowing its focus singularly on hormonal birth control and blood clot risks.

“With this new focus, we will ensure that the work of the Foundation endures in the decades ahead,” Rowan explains. “To meet this goal, we are expanding our resources and programming and growing new relationships to help increase the value of our efforts within the clotting disorders community.”

Specifically, in 2022, the Rowan Foundation has created a new website that provides information about women’s health and clotting risks, the specific risks for clotting associated with all forms of hormonal birth control, and a spectrum of downloadable resources that women can use to make informed decisions as they select their preferred method of birth control. The Rowan Foundation also will be rolling out a nationwide digital advertising campaign to share information about hormonal birth control and blood clotting risks with millions of women of child bearing age.

University of Houston Partnership
As part of its new direction, the Rowan Foundation also will be expanding its programming with the University of Houston. For the past three years, the Rowan Foundation has worked with the English Department there to support undergraduate internships, a summer writing competition, and the University’s annual Boldface Conference.

Alexandra Rowan graduated with a degree in writing and communications, and aspired to be a published author. The Rowan Foundation, therefore, funds programs to support students who share this same goal. This year, the Rowan Foundation also will be exploring other opportunities to collaborate with both the University of Houston English Department and Student Health Center to complement the Foundation’s health education work in the clotting community and general public.

Giving
The organization also will be stepping up its fundraising efforts this year to fuel the expansion of its resources and programs.

“In recent years, we’ve seen consistent donations over time, but historically our family has been largely responsible for the funding of the Foundation’s work,” Rowan explains. “While our family will continue to fund the organization in this way, we want to increase and diversify our funding from other sources to more robustly support our work and mission.”

Rowan Foundation Mission
The Rowan Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is focused on contributing to the reduction of lives lost due to blood clots among women using hormonal birth control. The organization is dedicated to:

  • Improving awareness about the blood clot risks posed by hormonal birth control
  • Educating women about their potential blood clot risk factors, as well as the signs and symptoms of blood clots
  • Providing information and resources to help women make informed choices about contraception

The efforts of the Rowan Foundation help to fill crucial information gaps about hormonal birth control and blood clots and, in doing so, serve the legacy of Alexandra Rowan, who lost her life at the age of 23 due to a blood clot in her lung.

In serving the legacy of Alexandra Rowan, the Foundation also aims to help college students who, as Alexandra did, are pursuing professional goals as creative writers. In collaboration with major academic institutions, the Rowan Foundation supports creative writing programs to nurture and fund internships, scholarships, and academically driven creative writing events.

Learn how you can support the mission of the Rowan Foundation here, or connect with the Foundation on social media via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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