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G. DESIGNING HEALTH SERVICES TO MEETTHE NEEDS OF LOW-INCOME WOMENThis paper has shown the connectionsamong the issues of income, gender andhealth. Many health service providers mayfeel that these issues are beyond theirmandate or their expertise. Yet there arepractical steps that health servicesorganizations can take to addressthese issues.Three models for meeting the healthservices needs of women living in povertyare presented below. These are:1. Vancouver/Richmond Vancouver-Richmond Health Board’s Women’sHealth Planning Project Final Report.2. The Commonwealth Secretariat’sModel of Good Practice inWomen’s Health3. The Winnipeg Women’s HealthClinic’s Model of CareEach of these frameworks includemeasures which can be taken by healthservice providers to better meet the needsof low-income women, within their ownorganizations, with other health servicesorganizations and with other agencies.1. Vancouver/Richmond Health Board –A Framework for Women-Centred HealthIn January 2000, the Vancouver-RichmondHealth Board (V/RHB) released itsWomen’s Health Planning Project FinalReport. 78 Following a review of the relevantliterature and an extensive consultationprocess, V/RHB has developed aframework for women-centred health careservices delivery. The adoption of thisframework would make the health servicesdelivery system more responsive to, andaccessible to, the needs of low-incomewomen. The framework explicitly recognizesthe impact of income on the health ofwomen. Excerpts from the framework areincluded in Appendix 5. The 11 elements ofthe framework are:Women, Income andHealth in Manitoba44ELEMENT #1ELEMENT #2ELEMENT #3ELEMENT #4ELEMENT #5ELEMENT #6ELEMENT #7ELEMENT #8ELEMENT #9ELEMENT #10ELEMENT #11The Need for Respect and SafetyThe Importance of Empowering WomenInvolvement and Participation of WomenWomen’s Patterns or Preferences in Obtaining Health CareWomen’s Forms of Communication and InteractionThe Need for InformationWomen’s Decision-Making ProcessesGender-Inclusive Approach to DataGendered Research and EvaluationSocial Justice ConcernsGender-Sensitive Training
2. The Commonwealth Secretariat –Models of Good Practice in Women’s HealthWomen, Income andHealth in Manitoba45In 1996, the Commonwealth Secretariatpublished its Models of good practicerelevant to women and health, includingresearch, policy, implementation, strategies,testing and evaluation. 79 The 13 principlesincluded are reproduced below:SCOPE(1) Women’s health concerns extend overthe life cycle and are not limited toreproductive problems.(2) Women’s health problems include, butare not limited to, conditions, diseasesor disorders which are specific towomen, occur more commonly inwomen, or have differing risk factorsor course in women than in men.(3) Health must be considered in broadterms and both positively as well asnegatively. Dimensions of healthinclude the physical, mental, socialand spiritual.DETERMINANTS(4) Women’s health is directly affected bya range of socio-cultural, physicaland psychological factors.(5) Women have gender roles andresponsibilities which directly affecttheir level of access to and control ofresources necessary to protect theirhealth. These resources are external(economic, political, information/education, a safe environment freeof violence and time) as well asinternal (self-esteem, initiative)(6) Women are diverse in their age, class,race or ethnicity, religion, functionalcapacity, sexual orientation and socialcircumstances. These factors maylead to inequalities which adverselyaffect their health.COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION(7) Priority should be given to projects inwhich the issues have been identifiedas important by women themselves.Particular attention should be paid tothose issues raised by women whoare subject to inequities in their society.(8) Women from the target communityshould be involved in the planning,implementation, and evaluation orprojects involving their health.(9) Knowledge arising from projectsmust be accessible to all womenbut particularly women in the targetcommunity. This also means thatinformation must be provided informs appropriate to different levelsof education and literacy.METHODS(10) To address the complex issuesaffecting women’s health a broadbased,interdisciplinary genderedapproach is needed, involving andbringing together knowledge andmethods of social and healthscientists and other disciplineswhere appropriate.(11) Intersectoral approaches are neededto address the social factors affectingwomen’s health and life chances.These may involve the workingtogether of various governmentaldepartments with each other and withnongovernmental and communitybasedgroups and the private sector.(12) Knowledge from projects shouldalso inform and influence governmentpolicies and plans, legislation, researchand health care workers.(13) Where possible, there should beresource sharing of skills within regions.
Page 1 and 2: WOMEN, INCOME ANDHEALTH IN MANITOBA
Page 3 and 4: TABLE OF CONTENTSPageA. EXECUTIVE S
Page 5 and 6: EXECUTIVE SUMMARYTHE LINK between p
Page 7 and 8: Women, Income andHealth in Manitoba
Page 9 and 10: B. INTRODUCTIONMuch work has been d
Page 11 and 12: Consistent with the majority of soc
Page 13 and 14: Health and Well-Being of Children i
Page 17 and 18: members of different visible minori
Page 21 and 22: 3. How has the connection between i
Page 23 and 24: E. INCOME AND THE HEALTH OF WOMEN -
Page 27 and 28: majority of British households,rega
Page 31 and 32: The following chart, based on a cha
Page 33 and 34: marsh potatoes, berries, etc. As a
Page 35 and 36: opportunities for women may beone o
Page 37 and 38: 2. Manitoba Data - Income and Healt
Page 39 and 40: CHART 3HEALTH CARE EXPENDITURES ON
Page 41 and 42: 3. What Does This Mean?As in other
Page 43: procedures. It is noteworthy that t
Page 49 and 50: H. MAKING PUBLIC POLICY HEALTHIER F
Page 51 and 52: against women and its consequences
Page 53 and 54: 3.3 CHILD TAX BENEFITThe Government
Page 55 and 56: Household Basic Rent Rent Including
Page 57 and 58: If RHAs are open to suchcollaborati
Page 59 and 60: APPENDIX 1:SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE R
Page 63 and 64: APPENDIX 3:HEALTH SERVICE UTILIZATI
Page 65 and 66: APPENDIX 4:INTERVIEWS WITH ABORIGIN
Page 73 and 74: ELEMENT #11GENDER SENSITIVE TRAININ
Page 77 and 78: ENDNOTES1. Sarlo, Christopher, “P
Page 79 and 80: ENDNOTES (continued)45. Arber, Sara
Page 81 and 82: ENDNOTES (continued)88. Mustard, Ca
Page 83 and 84: REFERENCES (continued)Clarke, H.F.
Page 85 and 86: REFERENCES (continued)Macintyre, Sa
Page 87 and 88: REFERENCES (continued)Vancouver/Ric

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