here. - Canadian Women's Health Network

More documents

Recommendations

Info

meet the needs of low-income women. 15Perhaps most importantly, health careorganizations must change by specificallyconsidering the needs of low-income women.The best way to do this is by includinglow-income women in the planningand evaluation of health services.In order to improve the health status oflow-income women, we will also needpolicy changes outside of the health caresystem. While these issues have nottraditionally been part of the work of thehealth care system, it has an important roleto play in encouraging organizationsoutside of health to consider the healthconsequences of their decisions. In Towarda Healthy Future, the Federal, Provincialand Territorial Advisory Committee onPopulation Health (ACPH) identified“renewing and reorienting the healthsector” as the first of three priorities andcalled on health care organizations to“initiate dialogue with other healthdeterminingsectors about the healthimpacts of policies in sectors outsidehealth and about collective actionsthat can be taken.” 16The ACPH also identified “improving healthby reducing inequities in income distributionand in literacy and education” as anotherof its priorities for action. 17It is important to take actions both toincrease the incomes of low-incomewomen and to limit the costs of essentialservices. Some ideas for action include:■increasing the minimum wage;■■■■■■■■increasing social assistance rates;broadening eligibility forEmployment Insurance;reducing the costs of publictransportation;increasing the number ofsubsidized child care spaces ;making child care fully subsidizedfor women living in poverty;reducing the cost ofbasic telephone service;making recreation programs freelyavailable for those living in poverty;providing non-insured health benefits,such as dental care and prescriptiondrugs to all those living in poverty.These are some of the many opportunitieswhich exist for decision-makers, healthservice providers and the public to use ourexisting knowledge about the connectionsbetween income and health to make ourcommunity healthier for all.While we may not have a detailedunderstanding of the mechanisms bywhich income and social status affecthealth, we know that the connectionis there. Now is the time to use theknowledge which we do have to makechanges to improve women’s health.15Vancouver Richmond Health Board, Framework for Woman Centred Care,available at: http://www.vcn.bc.ca/vrhb/, Women’s Health Clinic, Model ofCare, The Commonwealth Secretariat, Models of good practice relevant towomen and health, including research, policy, implementation, strategies,testing and evaluation.16Toward a Healthy Future: Second Report on the Health of Canadians,pages 175 to 17717Ibid.Women, Income andHealth in Manitoba8The Women’s Health Clinic is a community health centre based on the principlesof feminism, equity and diversity, promoting the health and well-being of women.Women’s Health Clinic’s approach to health is to facilitate empowerment, choiceand action. Women are encouraged to learn all they can about what contributesto their health and well-being so they can make informed decisions. The Clinichelps to bring together agencies and individuals for education and action onissues that impact significantly on women’s health.
B. INTRODUCTIONMuch work has been done to date on theconnection between poverty and ill health,and, more generally, on income andvarious measures of health and illness.The purpose of this paper is to explorethe relationship between the health ofManitoba women and their socioeconomicstatus.This paper will therefore:1. briefly describe income distribution andpoverty in Canada and Manitoba today;2. provide a summary of the literature on therelationship between income and health;3. expand that work with new informationabout the connections between women’sincome and their health, including ananalysis of data about the utilization ofhealth services by Manitoba women;4. describe some of the key health servicesissues for low-income women and presentmodels of service which addressesthose issues;5. present ideas for interventions in publicpolicy that will improve the health ofManitoba women living in poverty.Because of the significance of incomeand poverty issues for Aboriginal women,information specific to their situation andneeds has been included wherever possible.This paper has been commissioned as partof a project by the Women’s Health Clinicof Winnipeg and has been funded by theHealth Promotion and Programs Branchof Health Canada.Women, Income andHealth in Manitoba9
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: Women, Income andHealth in Manitoba
Page 11 and 12: Consistent with the majority of soc
Page 13 and 14: Health and Well-Being of Children i
Page 15 and 16: Women, Income andHealth in Manitoba
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 and 44: procedures. It is noteworthy that t
Page 45 and 46: 2. The Commonwealth Secretariat -Mo
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 61 and 62:
Women, Income andHealth in Manitoba
Page 63 and 64:
APPENDIX 3:HEALTH SERVICE UTILIZATI
Page 65 and 66:
APPENDIX 4:INTERVIEWS WITH ABORIGIN
Page 67 and 68:
Page 69 and 70:
Page 71 and 72:
Page 73 and 74:
ELEMENT #11GENDER SENSITIVE TRAININ
Page 75 and 76:
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
show all

here. - Canadian Women's Health Network

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?