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HPV Vaccines, Cervical Cancer and Women’s Health[i]: Position Statement At first glance, the recent approval of the HPV vaccine and the subsequent federal commitment of funding to support part of a vaccination program appears to be the long-awaited panacea to cervical cancer, but closer examination reveals more questions than answers. There is a lack of reliable and transparent information, a potential misplacement of scarce public resources and the possibility of negative impacts on health and on existing reproductive health services. The recent
approval of the HPV vaccine and the federal commitment to funding a
vaccination program is premature. We recommend that governments re-examine
their plans regarding HPV vaccination and redirect these funds toward
addressing existing gaps in care and further research.
[1]This document is a position statement of the Women’s Health Clinic, outlining our observations and recommendations. It is not intended to provide a detailed review of HPV-related research findings nor does it allow space to provide a detailed rationale for all items discussed within. We refer interested readers to the extensive policy paper prepared by the Canadian Women’s Health Network and other documents on the reading list and an information sheet which can be found in the Appendix. Approved: May 1, 2007 in principle by Advocacy and Policy Committee and the WHC board of Directors. For more
information, please read the following:
Women Need Safe, Stable, Affordable Housing
Women, Income and Health in Manitoba Project
FUTURE DIRECTIONS There are opportunities for decision-makers, health service providers and the public to use the knowledge about the connections between income and health. In order to do this, they must: 1. recognize the many complex and interwoven ways in which income and gender affect health; 2. consider the implications on health of decisions made outside of the health care system; 3. design and re-design health services systems in ways which recognize the needs of low-income women; 4. recognize that the impact of socio-economic inequalities affects all aspects of women's health. This will require a major shift in the perspective of health planners and health care service providers, to incorporate gender analysis in design, implementation and evaluation throughout the health care system, and not only in those programs with a specific "women's health" mandate. While we may not have a detailed understanding of the mechanisms by which income and social status affect health, we know that the connection is there. Now is the time to use the knowledge which we do have to make changes to improve women's health. WHC released the final report on this project, funded by Health Canada, Status of Women Canada and WHC, on February 6, 2002. To learn more about the study, read the Executive Summary (link above) or download the whole report in pdf format (adobe reader required) - see link above. If your group or association would like to know more, call Gail Watson, Project Co-ordinator at (204) 947-2422, ext. 134.
Women & Health Reform Working Group The Working Group on Women and Health Reform has been meeting since Spring, 1996. It includes representatives from a wide range of community, health and women's organizations interested in understanding and influencing the process of health reform in Manitoba to ensure that reforms will address women's unique health needs. The group is also working to promote women's involvement in decision-making about health services. With a grant from Health Canada, the Working Group will be holding meetings and workshops in a number of locations around the province this March to encourage women to share ideas about how gender-sensitive planning can occur. A resource package for the workshops is also being developed. For more information, contact Madeline Boscoe at (204) 947-2422, ext. 122 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. For more on the Women & Health Reform Working Group, please read:
Pregnant Women: Addictions & Mandatory Treatment Orders To understand more about "Pregnant Women: Addictions & Mandatory Treatment Orders", please read Why the Supreme Court Should Rule Against Mandatory Treatment: Five Good Reasons from the Canadian Women's Health Network (CWHN). For more articles on Pregnant Women: Addictions & Mandatory Treatment Orders, please read:
Health Protection Issues For information on Health Protection Issues, please read:
Coalition for Access to Physician Profiles Increasing access to information so women can make good decisions about their health and health care has been a core goal of WHC since its inception. For Manitobans, access to one important piece of information has been elusive - clouded by legislation, values, physician attitudes and administrative procedures - that is the performance of physicians. Over a year ago, Women's Health Clinic joined with a variety of consumer groups to form the Coalition for Public Assess to Physician Profiles. Since that time, we have contacted and met with Manitoba Health officials, held press conferences and worked to raise public awareness about implementing models to facilitate the access of healthcare consumers to information to Manitoba physicians. This fall the Coalition arranged for Nancy Achin Sullivan, Executive Director of the Massachusetts State Board of Registration in Medicine, to visit Winnipeg. Massachusetts has already undergone the process of making physician profiles accessible to health care consumers. At a meeting with the Deputy Minister of Health and senior staff, Ms Sullivan provided an overview of the Massachusetts model, offering a broader vision of accountability than the model currently used in Manitoba. Unlike the self-regulating Manitoba College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Massachusetts Board is a department of the state government with an advisory board of physicians and members of the general public. The Executive Director reports to the Minister of Health as well as the Board. The state board produces Physician Profiles and has other programs and processes that the Coalition believes would be useful in Manitoba. For more details on the Massachusetts model, visit the web site at www.massmedboard.org. At that meeting, Manitoba Health announced its commitment to introduce Physician Profiles in Manitoba and involve the Coalition in the development of profiles. We have now heard that a Physician Profiles Steering Committee is being established and will include 2 representatives from the Coalition. We hope that Ms Sullivan will be able to return to Manitoba for public meetings. If you are interested in attending such an event, or for further information about the Coalition, contact Madeline Boscoe, WHC’s Advocacy Coordinator at (204) 947-2422, ext. 122. The Coalition is also open to other organizations interested in joining. For more information, please read the following: |
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