Printer-friendly versionIn this issue:
- Social Determinants of Health: The Canadian Facts
- Access to Care – Latest Chapter of the POWER Report
- New Book: The Social Determinants of Health in Manitoba
- Contraception Methods for HIV-Positive Women and Women at Risk of HIV
- Breast Cancer a Disease - Not a Marketing Opportunity
- New Website: The Women's Court of Canada
- Every Cell is Sexed, Every Person is Gendered
- The Healing Journey: Winding Down in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
- Stirrups and Stories: Reclaiming the OB/GYN Patient Experience through Imagery and Words
- Gender and Bodily Difference
1. Social Determinants of Health: The Canadian Facts
A report released April 28 by York University health researchers offers Canadians the opportunity to learn how their living conditions will determine whether they stay healthy or become ill. Social Determinants of Health: The Canadian Facts shows why these factors are so important for health and documents the state of these living conditions in Canada in an accessible manner for the Canadian public. “Our key message is that the health of Canadians is much less determined by the health care system than we typically think. Much more important are public policies that influence our living conditions,” says Dennis Raphael, Professor in York’s School of Health Policy & Management and the report’s co-author. The report is free to download here.
2. Access to Care – Latest Chapter of the POWER Report
One in three South Asian, West Asian or Arab women — one of the fastest growing segments of Canada’s population — say they have trouble accessing a doctor to address an urgent health concern or to monitor health problems. This group and immigrant women and men are at a significant disadvantage compared to Canadian-born individuals when it comes to finding a doctor, getting an appointment and accessing specialists for their health-care needs. These are among the findings of Acce ess to Care, the seventh and most recent chapter of the POWER (Project for an Ontario Women’s Health Evidence-Based Report) study. To download and to read the chapter, please visit the POWER website.
3. New Book: The Social Determinants of Health in Manitoba
Are you looking for a good understanding of what affects women's health in Manitoba? Did you know that farm women face "triple jeopardy" to their health with employment on and off the farm, plus unpaid and caregiving work? Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Manitoba is launching "The Social Determinants of Health in Manitoba". This book explores the social and economic conditions that contribute to health inequities and recommends policies we could implement to improve health outcomes, featuring expert commentary on "Women and Health in Manitoba" by Margaret Haworth-Brockman, from Prairie Women's Health Centre of Excellence. For more information on the May 20 book launch or to pre-order, phone (204) 927-3200 or email Jill Hudspith at: ccpamb@policyalternatives.ca.
4. Contraception Methods for HIV-Positive Women and Women at Risk of HIV
The National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases has released a new fact sheet on contraception and HIV positive women. The fact sheet is available on their website. (PDF)
5. Breast Cancer a Disease - Not a Marketing Opportunity
Elsie Hambrook, Chairperson of the New Brunswick Status of Women, recently write an article on sexualized breast cancer campaigns: “The breast is not, in this society, just another part of the body. So we should have expected that breast disease such as cancer would be subject to different treatment than other diseases. Still, some of the breast cancer related campaigns are surprising… Last September, Canadian charity Rethink Breast Cancer released an ad to promote a “Boobyball” fundraiser that featured a buxom woman entering a pool party while being ogled by attendees…: “You know you like them. Now it’s time to save the boobs.” Read the article here.
6. New Website: The Women's Court of Canada
The Women’s Court of Canada is an innovative project bringing together academics, activists, and litigators in order literally to rewrite the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms equality jurisprudence. Taking inspiration from Oscar Wilde, who once said “the only duty we owe to history is to rewrite it”, the Women’s Court operates as a virtual court, and ‘reconsiders’ leading equality decisions. The Women’s Court renders alternative decisions as a means of articulating fresh conceptions of substantive equality. Visit the website.
7. Every Cell is Sexed, Every Person is Gendered
CIHR’s Institute of Gender and Health (IGH) celebrates its 10th anniversary this year and will host a national conference on gender, sex and health research in Toronto, ON from November 22 to 23, 2010. “Every Cell is Sexed, Every Person is Gendered” will bring together a multidisciplinary group of researchers to showcase the country’s most innovative gender, sex and health research, and to foster networking among researchers. We will be announcing a call for abstracts shortly. Please stay tuned for more information about this exciting conference.
8. The Healing Journey: Winding Down in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
It’s been more than 4 years and 275 interviews since the first wave of participants in the Healing Journey project were recruited in Prince Albert, but with the last three interviews currently being scheduled, the project is now in the final stages of data collection. The Healing Journey: A Longitudinal Study of Women Who Have Been Abused by Intimate Partners is the first study of its kind in Canada, examining the experience of intimate partner violence and the consequences it has on the lives of women in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta over a four year period. Read the article here.
9. Stirrups and Stories: Reclaiming the OB/GYN Patient Experience through Imagery and Words
Stirrups and Stories is a grassroots initiative to improve health outcomes and the care women receive in the OB or GYN office by collecting women's stories to educate and empower both patients and providers. Who really asks, 'so how is OB/GYN care for you, ladies?' But this information is valuable! If we start listening to the women, and collecting their stories, we can discover reasons women do or do not seek care, what concerns women actually have, how providers can improve the care they give their patients, what's going divinely right and what's going egregiously wrong. See the online gallery here.
10. Gender and Bodily Difference
Gender and Bodily Difference, a special issue of the on-line journal Radical Psychology: A Journal of Psychology, Politics, and Radicalism is now available on-line. Ginny Braun and Leonore Tiefer have an article in it about the activism of the New View Campaign in regard to female genital cosmetic surgery. Read the article here.
About Brigit's Notes
Brigit's Notes e-bulletin is published monthly by the Canadian Women's Health Network (www.cwhn.ca) as a free service to individuals and organizations interested in women's health.
This month's issue of Brigit's Notes is going out to 3,733 subscribers.
Who is Brigit?
Prepared by:
Alex Merrill
Canadian Women's Health Network