Need Therapy? In West Africa, Hairdressers Can Help.

Women in the Philippines have been coming to this small clinic in a Manila slum for years to get affordable birth control, something frowned upon in this largely conservative Catholic country.

Popular in some countries and catching on in the U.S., community health workers fill gaping holes in care. The workers help curb health care costs by preventing complicated disease and emergency room visits.

There is nothing more difficult than changing entrenched cultural practices, especially those as shrouded in taboos as female genital cutting. A grassroots approach in Ethiopia, however, has nearly completely eradicated this practice in villages that use it.

A Buffalo, New York clinic provides a space for both abortions and natural births. In looking at the experiences as a continuum, rather than as juxtiposing sides, the hope is to change how people think about the birth experiences.

Expecting mothers, especially young ones, can often feel scared and unprepared about the pregnancy process. Maternity meeting groups help them gain more support and knowledge about their future pregnancies.

Colorado causes a large decline in teen pregnancy and abortions by implementing free, long-term birth control to prevent pregnancy. While demonstrating massive success, its continuity is in the air considering the ongoing fight over health insurance at the federal level.

With pressures of depression, anxiety, and suicide on the rise, teenagers in the United States are challenged to find the comfortable outlet and accessibility for emotional support. The Crisis Text Line offers a counseling service through mobile texting, which reduces the shame that can occur when approaching an in-person counselor, and expands access to professional mental health counseling nationwide.

Suicide rates are rising in the U.S. The Henry Ford Health System in Detroit reduced suicide rates within their insurance plan by 80 percent by actively seeking at risk patients. They screen every hospital patient on every visit and immediately treat those in need.

Mental health research results motivated the U.S. government to fund integrated treatment programs for first-episode psychosis in clinics across the nation.

More than 800,000 people worldwide, including about 40,000 Americans, die by suicide each year. Colorado is pushing to prevent suicides by promoting awareness and changing laws to help those at risk.