At least three of the studies commissioned by the Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence have dealt with farm and rural women.
The Winnipeg-based centre, one of five in Canada funded for six years by the federal health department, has now finished its research. Last month it held a conference to decide on action for its remaining 18 months, said chief executive officer Margaret Haworth-Brockman.
“We are not able to support new rural research. That part of our mandate is over,” said Haworth-Brockman.
She said the centre will focus on assisting health districts and provincial and federal governments develop policy that will improve women’s health.
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The centre is looking at social determinants of women’s health – factors such as employment, housing, friends and family relationships and how these affect a woman’s well-being.
Among studies done was one on informal caregiving – looking after an elderly relative.
“With regionalization of health, the burden often falls in an unbalanced way on women. Rural distance compounds this,” said Haworth-Brockman.
Other rural research examined changes in delivery of health care, domestic violence in rural areas and the lack of gender analysis in health issues.
Haworth-Brockman said priorities presented during the centre’s October conference included poor farm income, the burden from injuries and deaths, the need for off-farm supports, including employment or child care, lack of mental health services and occupational and environmental risks such as chemicals and dust.
Laurie Petrovsky-Beachel, who represents the Manitoba Women’s Institute on the centre’s board of directors, said the best accomplishment to date has been the study called the invisible woman.
“It will help identify a wider scope of women’s issues to health regional authorities.”
Petrovsky-Beachel said the public and decision makers have to become more aware of the rural problems of isolation, distance and confidentiality. She said money alone will not resolve this. It takes a bigger commitment.
As a breast cancer survivor, she sits on various boards to present her views. She said change rides on the backs of volunteers like herself.
Part of the struggle will be to convince women of the need for special attention.
“A lot of women think it has to be equal (treatment), but we aren’t going to make progress that way. It has to be equal but different.”
