Women's Health Protective Association

Women's Health Protective Association (sometimes, Woman's Health Protective Association; original parent body, Ladies' Health Protective Association) was a US women's organization focused on improving a city's public health and protecting the immediate neighborhood. It was founded in New York City in November 1884 as the Ladies' Health Protective Association.

The impetus for the association occurred when a few women were annoyed by a nuisance maintained in the immediate neighborhood of their homes. They assembled in the parlor of one of the women to talk over the situation and devise some plan of concerted effort that could be brought to bear upon the New York City Metropolitan Board of Health to induce it to abate this nuisance. The result led to the formation of "The Ladies' Health Protective Association." It commanded public attention because its work was public and for the public. The meetings became important enough to have reporters assigned from the daily papers attend them, and reports appeared.

Associations were formed in other cities on the same general principles. The newer associations substituted the word "woman," or "women," for " ladies," although the original charter granted by New York State was to "The Ladies' Health Protective Association." By 1895, the parent body decided, in view of the prejudices against the use of the word "lady", to change its name to The Woman's Health Protective Association.