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News Release

1996-46
June 25, 1996

Successful candidates for Centres of Excellence for Women's Health announced

HALIFAX - Health Minister David Dingwall today announced the five successful candidates for federal funding under the Centres of Excellence for Women's Health Program.

The candidates selected are:

• Maritime Consortium, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia
• Consortium -- Université de Montréal, Montreal, Quebec
• National Network on Environments and Women's Health, York University, Toronto, Ontario
• Prairie Region Centre of Excellence for Women's Health, Women's Health Clinic, Winnipeg, Manitoba
• British Columbia Consortium for Women's Health, B.C. Women's Hospital and Health Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia

"I am confident that the five centres announced today will make a meaningful and significant contribution to our efforts to improve the health and well-being of Canadian women," the Minister said. "The work of the centres will complement and support Health Canada's priority setting and policy development activities in the area of women's health."

Each funded centre will have a broad mandate that includes collecting and analyzing health information and data, conducting research on key women's health issues, providing policy advice to governments and health organizations, generating and communicating information to a wide range of audiences, and building networks of individuals and groups involved in women's health locally, nationally and internationally.

The federal government established the Centres of Excellence for Women's Health Program as a response to the serious lack of research on women's health in Canada and the fact that women's health has not generally received appropriate attention in the health system. The Program has the overall purpose of improving the health of Canadian women by enhancing the health system's understanding of, and responsiveness to, women's health issues.

The Minister noted that making women's health a government priority and funding the Centres of Excellence for Women's Health fulfills a Red Book commitment made during the last election campaign.

The centres are expected to begin their work this year. Federal funding for the centres will total $12 million over six years.

"The Centres of Excellence for Women's Health Program will promote and facilitate collaboration between researchers, practitioners, policy-makers and consumers, and I believe that this will ultimately help improve the health status of Canadian women," Mr. Dingwall said.

The five Centres were chosen from among 25 candidates through a two stage process. The selection process included assessment by an external review panel comprised of experts in women's health research, health policy and community development.

The Minister pointed out that the government's commitment to women's health is reflected not only in the centres program, but through other initiatives such as the first Canada-U.S.A. Women's Health Forum. The Forum, being held in Ottawa August 8-10, will bring together Canadians and Americans to discuss women's health issues, programs and policies.

The centres and other individuals and organizations concerned with women's health in government and in the non-government sector will be linked through a Canadian Women's Health Network which is to be in operation this summer.

Funding for this Program was provided for in the federal budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework. This initiative is an example of how this government is prioritizing its spending so that it can better serve Canadians by making efficient use of their tax dollars.