Further Advancing the Health of Girls and Women: Report on the Women’s Health Strategy for British Columbia 2004-2008
The British Columbia Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health improves the health of women by advancing knowledge on a range of women’s health issues to improve care and policy for girls and women. The British Columbia Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health and its activities and products have been made possible through a financial contribution from Health Canada. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of Health Canada. The British Columbia Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health is hosted by British Columbia’s Women’s Hospital & Health Centre, an agency of the Provincial Health Services Authority.
BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre, an agency of the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), is the only facility in B.C. devoted primarily to the health of women, newborns, and families.Preface
A Message from Dr. Elizabeth Whynot, President
BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre
BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre has a unique role as both a major provider of clinical services for women in British Columbia and as a leader, on behalf of the Provincial Health Services Authority and in partnership with regional health authorities and the provincial government, in developing and supporting provincial initiatives to improve the health of girls and women. Since the opening of the BC Women’s Health Centre in 1994, BC Women’s has developed its mandate and its services in response to consultations with and evidence about the population of women across British Columbia.
The development of Advancing the Health of Girls and Women was an important step towards a shared vision of optimal health for women in British Columbia. The Strategy provided a reference point for many important initiatives, including the completion and implementation of the Maternity Care Enhancement Project, the ActNowBC Healthy Choices in Pregnancy initiative and the development of tools to enable gender-based services planning and gender- and sex-based health surveillance regionally, provincially and nationally. These activities are just a few of the many positive, concrete manifestations of the priorities identified in the Strategy.
In 2004, BC Women’s established the Provincial Women’s Health Network, a body with representation from all health authorities, the provincial government, the British Columbia Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health and a variety of content experts. The network, which is supported by the BC Women’s Provincial Health Team, is an important vehicle for the exchange of information, tools and strategies to strengthen our system’s capacity to respond to women’s health needs. It provides a link to health authorities and communities, and has facilitated community-based conferences and local discussions about the diverse challenges facing women across this large province. The network represents an important opportunity to enhance coordination among all health authorities in advancing the health of and health service for the girls and women of British Columbia.
This review of the Strategy’s impact summarizes an enormous amount of positive achievement in just a very few years. The Strategy and the efforts since have built on the work of many people over many years in British Columbia. I look forward to a continued renewal of these successes.
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