About
Women's
Network
Background:
The East Prince Women's Wellness Committee formed as a result of the success of the Days, Evenings, Weekends Program (DEW) Program which was offered by the Women's Addiction Outpatient Treatment Program in East Prince since 1997. The success of the holistic approach that the DEW program took in treating women's addictions led to the formation of a forum of representatives from East Prince Health and community based agencies directly involved in the health and well-being of women and families. These representatives began to look at the potential for developing a women's health program in East Prince based on a similar holistic model.
In summer 2001, the East Prince Women's Wellness Committee commissioned a Needs Assessment study to determine if the health needs of women in the community were being met by the health system. Based on the concerns and problems identified by the women surveyed, the investigators recommended the creation of an East Prince Women's Health Clinic.
In September 2002, the Committee developed a Vision, Purpose, Principles and Values, and began to identify strategies to work toward the desired vision.
The Committee continued the Strategic Planning process with a workshop in June 2003, and a half-day follow-up in October 2003, as part of a project of Women's Network PEI and East Prince Women's Information Centre, with funding from the Population and Public Health Branch, Atlantic Region, of Health Canada. The project goal is to address the health and wellness issues of women in East Prince by working with partners to develop a strategic policy framework.
The Strategic Plan that follows is based on decisions made at the workshops held in September 2002, June 2003 and October 2003.
Vision: Women in East Prince will have the comprehensive supports and resources they need to attain and maintain their optimal health and wellness.
Purpose: To provide leadership, direction, and coordination in the development, planning, evaluation, and assurance of delivery of a holistic women's health strategy intended to meet the gender specific health and wellness needs and preferences of the women of East Prince.
Guiding Principles/Shared Values: The work of the committee will be guided by the following principles and values:
• quality
• accessible/flexible
• non-judgmental
• women-centred
• holistic
• respectful
• culture of trust
• empowering
Organizational Structure: The Committee is comprised of members from the community of East Prince, East Prince Health, and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs). A Management Committee is charged with making decisions on behalf of the Committee. See Terms of Reference, Appendix A.
Situational Analysis:
In working toward a holistic women's health strategy for the women of East Prince, it is helpful to understand supporting and opposing forces. These can be used to help shape a strategy.
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| The media are very helpful in publicizing stories that increase public awareness and understanding of issues concerning women's health in East Prince. | Some public attitudes do not support women's access to choice in health concerns. |
| There is access to funding for projects designed to improve the health of women, through government and private sources. Health Canada's funding for this project is one example. | There is public support for maintaining the status quo vis a vis health care, supporting acute care (hospitals) rather than redirecting resources to aid in programs for health maintenance and disease prevention. |
| Strong voices of women and men in the community, leading to increased understanding of what is needed to improve the health of East Prince Women. Some of the voices are EPWIC, partners represented on the committee, and Women's Institutes | Some research findings about men are treated more seriously and publicized more widely that similar findings about the unique characteristics of women, e.g. symptoms of heart attack. |
| There is a move to develop partnerships that will work, with an emphasis on prevention, to enhance the health of women. Government departments are forming partnerships for various initiatives, as are community and governments, and various levels of government. Federal projects require partnerships to be accountable and demonstrate results. | There is a lack of legislative and policy support for approaches that would enhance the health of East Prince women, notably legislation that would permit midwives and nurse-practitioners to practice, and a structure that would enable women to have legal access to abortion within PEI. |
| Various community resources play a role in improving the health of women in East Prince, e.g. the new boardwalk along the Summerside waterfront, non-government organizations (NGOs) such as the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cancer Society, and the three alliances: Healthy Eating Alliance, Active Living Alliance and the Tobacco Reduction Alliance. For a more complete listing of community resources, see Appendix B. | Girls and women have been socialized to be polite, and not assertive about this and other matters. |
| Physicians and other health professionals willing to work in alternative models of practice, such as collaborative practice, support health of women whose needs are best met outside the traditional models. | Some physicians and other health professionals do not support dedicated programs and services for women. |
| Much work has been done to support victims of family violence, and to make it an unacceptable behaviour. Victims are speaking out, and the police are taking action. Service clubs such as Rotary are taking a stand. | There is competition for resources, and some do not understand or support the need to dedicate resources toward women-centred services. |
| Corporate champions are developing programs in support of women's health and wellness, e.g. grocery chains, and fitness clubs. | Some women believe that the professionals have all the answers, and consequently fail to take responsibility for their own health and wellness. |
| Women have made progress, taking a more active and prominent role in society, and taking greater responsibility for their own health and wellness. | Women's addictions are not well understood or treated in East Prince. |
| The younger generation have grown up understanding that women are equal, and deserve to live in a situation in which they can achieve optimum health & wellness. | Some churches limit choices for women. |
| Some churches support and promote programs intended to improve the health and wellness of women in East Prince. | There remains some sexism, which discriminates against women through existing systems. |
| Some women do not support women as physicians or politicians, regardless of skills and abilities. | |
| Some men's groups do not support women specific health services. |
Prince Edward Island now has a Diversity Policy, and it is important to consider the diversity of East Prince women during all stages of planning and development. A comprehensive health and wellness strategy will endeavour to effectively address the needs of all the diverse groups. Some of the groups to be considered are:
• rural or urban
• single, married or living in common law relationships
• youth/teenaged, of child-bearing age, menopausal, senior, and very old
• illiterate, low literacy, or highly literate
• lesbian or heterosexual
• living in institutions or free-living
• those with active addictions or recovering from addictions or other chronic diseases
• disabled or able-bodied
• living in violence, or otherwise traumatized
• living in isolation
• living in poverty
• Aboriginal, immigrant, English- or French-speaking
• employed outside home
• caregiver
Women's Network Office
located at 40 Enman Crescent in Charlottetown
mailing address:
P.O. Box 233,
Charlottetown, PEI C1A
7K4
phone: (902) 368-5040
fax: (902) 368-5039
e-mail: wnpei@wnpei.org