June 26, 1996 For Immediate Release

Health Canada has announced the funding of a British Columbia Centre of Excellence in Women's Health. Over six years, $2 million in funding will be provided for a BC Consortium for Women's Health, partnered by UNBC, UVic, UBC, and The BC Women's Hospital and Health Centre. The northern secretariat for this Centre will be located at UNBC, which will continue networking with the various northern community women's groups supporting the initiative. The three main themes of the Centre are: health determinants and health status; healthy women in healthy communities, and women-centred health care. The Centres will examine current health system issues such as the impact of health reform on women and women's health; patterns of health service provision to women; women's experience with the health system; the influences on health, and the health needs of particular groups of women. 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.