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HEALTH COMMITTEE
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 Chair - Colleen Allan
Our BPW Canada Health Committee
was formed in 2002 because of our international Federation's affiliation with
the World Health Organization (WHO). Our consultative status with WHO mandates
BPW International as well as BPW Canada and other members to conduct research
and develop position statements on health issues that affect working women, and
specifically as it relates to their ability to access education and employment.
This is an area of particular interest and concern to me, as I am currently
employed as a Prevention Education Consultant with the Addiction Foundation of
Manitoba with responsibility for the research, development and facilitation of
accredited courses in addiction and related issues such as family violence and
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I have been a member of BPW Selkirk for 12
years, and am currently Provincial President for BPW Manitoba as well as
Co-chair of the 2008 Convention Planning Committee.
In the coming year, the
Health Committee will examine the issue of violence against women and the impact
of violence on women in the workplace, including their mental and physical
health, and related issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder and
depression. We have developed a Position Statement on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
(see below), and intend to continue work to address this very important issue.
As Chair of this committee, I encourage BPW members to let me know of their
issues and concerns. If you would like to be part of this committee, please let
me know that as well. Here are some resources that may help clubs in their work
on these issues:
: Prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASP)
(PDF 346kb)
BPW Canada Déclaration de principes: Prévenir l'ETCAF(Word 202kb)
BPW Canada Position Statement: The Emerging Crystal Methamphetamine (Crystal
Meth) Epidemic in Canada, 2006 (Word 37kb)
BPW Canada Déclaration de principes: Émergence d'une épidémie de métamphétamine
(crystal meth) au Canada, 2006 (Word 29kb)
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: Passed 2005 BPWI Congress, Lucerne,
Switzerland (Word 25kb)
BPW Canada Health Committee Report: By Elaine Elliott and Darlene Cleven, 2005-06
(Word 49kb)
Once resolutions are passed or position statements developed,
BPW Canada communicates with the
appropriate federal ministry to share our information and make our concerns
known. We had this recent communication regarding our Position Statement on the
Prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder from Canada’s Minister of Health, the
Hon. Tony Clement (Word).
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Current Health Issues - Research & General Info
- Research Links Drinking Habits to Breast Cancer
Women who take more than three alcoholic drinks daily increase risk as much as
smoking a pack of cigarettes, U.S. study indicates. Read the article in
Vancouver Sun, September 27, 2007.
- Time to Bridge the Gender Gap on Heart Attacks
New research shows that, compared to a man, a woman's risk of dying following
a cardiovascular event such as a heart attack or stroke is higher, women are
less likely to be treated by a specialist, are less likely to be transferred to
another facility for treatment, and less likely to undergo cardiac
catheterization or revasculation. "There has been some progress in closing
the gender gap," says Dr. Beth Abramson, cardiologist and spokesperson for
the Heart and Stroke Foundation, "but when it comes to Canada's leading
cause of death, there are women who may be under-served on the front lines
compared to men." For the full story, go to
http://ww2.heartandstroke.ca/Page.asp?PageID=33&ArticleID=5911&Src=news&From=SubCategory&RefSrc=Feb07
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