SASKATOON – From the official opening ceremony, the Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence is breaking new ground.
A Nov. 29 “ribbon joining” ceremony brought together participating organizations, women’s groups, health officials and individuals, who hope the centre will improve the health status of Canadian women.
The Saskatoon facility is one of five centres across Canada given $2 million each in federal funding over the next six years to do policy-oriented research aimed at making the health system more responsive to women.
Women’s health is defined as more than just the absence of disease, but also includes factors like environmental conditions, race, culture and language.
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The project, funded by Health Canada’s women’s health bureau, will affect federal government policy making, said health department spokesperson Linda Murphy at the opening.
Challenge ahead
“This is not a task to be taken lightly,” she said. “This is new money, and that is not happening frequently in the federal government. It is a vote of confidence to your work and the challenge ahead.”
The Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence will focus on five themes, said co-ordinator Joan Feather. These are:
- The impact on women’s health of factors such as income, education, social status, employment and the roles women play in society.
- Consumer input and control relating to health policy.
- Effects of health reform on women.
- Services that reflect women’s unique needs.
- Impact of social support on health. This theme will look at how available social support becomes a critical factor for maintaining and improving physical and emotional health.
Research will recognize the varied health needs of aboriginal, rural, francophone, senior and immigrant women as well as lesbians, women of color and women with disabilities.
While there are general health issues all women face, rural women have particular concerns which will be addressed, Feather said.
“What you see is a special challenge for rural women who are farther removed from sources of support,” she said.
Service for family abuse victims in farming and rural communities is another area that deserves special attention, Feather said.
Little privacy
“It is easier in larger communities to access services in an anonymous way,” she said, “but there is a general reluctance to name those issues in smaller communities where everyone knows each other.”
The initiative will focus on getting grassroots involvement from women across the Prairies, Feather said. Aside from a board of directors, advisory committees will guide discussion on each theme as well as major research projects.
Partners in the prairie centre include the Federation provinciale des Fransaskoises, Women’s Health Clinic in Winnipeg and the universities of Saskatchewan, Regina, Winnipeg and Manitoba.
A national advisory group, with representation from the five centres, research programs and the women’s health community, will advise and evaluate the health research being done for women.
