E-mail inquiries should be directed to Ms. Lenore Riddell,
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October 1, 1998

An Opportunity for Community Action:
The Women's Health in the Mid-life Years Health Transition
Fund Project

The Women's Health in Mid-life Years Project is an
initiative designed to assist women in
B.C. make informed choices in managing key mid-life health
issues through health education
and community action. The project is funded through the
Federal Health Transition Fund and is being coordinated by
BC Women's Hospital and Health Centre in collaboration with
the Women's Health Bureau of the B.C. Ministry of Health and
the Health Association of B.C.

Our population is aging and a longer portion of women's
lives will be lived after menopause.
Women experience a variety of changes associated with
menopause and have expressed a
need to know more about these issues in order to make
informed choices about interventions. This project focuses
specifically on the issues of bone health and heart health.
At a practical level, women and providers are exposed to a
great deal of often confusing and contradictory information
about the benefits/risks of hormone replacement and other
drug therapy. Life style changes and prevention strategies
to optimize health are of critical importance to population
health and little if any practical evidence-based
information about alternatives to pharmacology are readily
available to women.

Although women can be supported to make informed choices
pertaining to lifestyle,
information alone won't lead to improved health status in
these areas. This initiative is designed to assist
communities to identify and act on issues and conditions
which impact on women's health in mid-life. It aims to
facilitate health authorities, women serving organizations
and partners from different sectors working together to plan
and implement, using a population health approach,
innovative strategies for effectively addressing women's
health during the mid-life years.

Who can participate in this project?

Project funding will be available to assist 5 communities
across the province in demonstration projects which will
involve a health education/community action strategy which
addresses women's mid-life health issues.

Funding is available to communities that demonstrate:

--Commitment from their local health authorities (RHB, CHC)
to support the project and
 to support sustained activities following the end of the
project

--Partnerships with different sectors of the community who
are key players in health
promoting strategies in this area of women's health

--An evidence-based approach which is women-centred and
community based

--Innovative health education strategies

--Inclusion of both women-serving organizations and diverse
women's groups in their community

Project objectives:

1. To develop and implement educational activities which
assist women in understanding
     the risks, associated treatments and alternative
options for making informed health
    decisions

2. To develop and implement a sustainable, community action
project addressing mid-life
     health issues for women

3. To create opportunities to involve women in decision
making roles associated with the
    design, implementation and evaluation phases

4. To augment existing networks to better serve the needs of
women on issues affecting
     their health

Expected outcomes:
Women who participate will be better informed, more
confident and have improved
skills in decision-making around their health and health
care.

Communities who participate will have developed an increased
awareness of mid-life
women's health issues and have developed cross sectional
partnerships and strategies
which benefit women in their communities.

Funding: Funding is available for up to $40,000 per project
over an 18 month period.

Application Process:
A detailed request for proposals (RFP) is available either
from the project coordinator, Lenore Riddell (tel
604-875-2869), or on the BC Centre of Excellence for Women's
Health's web site (www.bccewh.bc.ca). The RFP will outline
clearly how to make an application.

Applications are to be submitted in two stages. Any
organization wishing to be involved must submit a Letter of
Interest by 5 p.m. on Monday, November 2, 1998. Letters of
interest received by that date will be reviewed by the
project review committee and a small number of proposals
will be requested to submit a more extensive proposal. All
details are available in the RFP.

When ready, please submit your letter of interest to:

Lenore Riddell, Project Coordinator
Women's Health in Mid-Life Project
Women's Health Centre
4500 Oak St.,
Vancouver, B.C., V6H 3N1