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Latest WCHM News
Making Your 40s Fabulous
YOU HORMONES | YOUR LIBIDO | YOUR HEALTH
The Women's Centre for Health Matters and Sexual Health and Family Planning ACT (SHFPACT) are jointly hosting a forum titled ‘Making Your 40s Fabulous’ for women to discuss issues affecting them in their 40s: hormonal changes, physical changes, libido, sleep, emotional health and the importance of maintaining health for the future. Following a webcast by the Jean Hailes Foundation for Women’s Health, there will be a question and answer session with a panel of local health experts.
The forum will take place on Wednesday September 1, 2010 at 6:30pm in the Legislative Assembly’s Reception Room.
Free entry includes information pack - RSVP by phoning WCHM on 6290 2166
Making Your 40s Fabulous Flyer (555 KB)
Report Launch: It goes with the Territory! ACT Women's views about Health and Wellbeing Information
Making Your 40s Fabulous Flyer (555 KB)
On Wednesday July 7, ACT Minister for Women Joy Burch, on behalf of WCHM, launched It goes with the Territory! ACT Women’s Views on Health and Wellbeing Information. The launch was very successful with over 50 people attending, including WCHM Board members, Amanda Bresnan and Mary Porter, and members of the media.
Caroline Polak Scowcroft, Vice President of the Health Care Consumers Association in the ACT, spoke about the importance of the report and highlighted the similarities between the centre's findings and those from HCCA research. Minister Joy Burch launched the report with a very supportive speech about WCHM and a commitment from ACT Health to work with WCHM on the recommendations.
It goes with the Territory! presents ACT women’s views about the quality and reliability of different sources of health and wellbeing information; documents the ways in which (different groups of) ACT women prefer to access health and wellbeing information; the barriers they face in accessing and obtaining the information they need; and the gaps in current health and wellbeing information in the ACT.
Report Launch: Out of Reach - Women living with mental health issues in the ACT: What hinders their access to legal support?
The Women’s Centre for Health Matters and the ACT Women and Mental Health Working Group’s commissioned report, Out of Reach - Women living with mental health issues in the ACT: What hinders their access to legal support? was launched by the ACT Human Rights and Discrimination Commissioner, Dr Helen Watchirs, on Monday June 21 at the ACT Legislative Assembly.
The launch was very successful with over 50 people attending, including WCHM Board members, Shane Rattenbury and Amanda Bresnan from the Greens, and 3 members of the media including ABC TV.
Amy Kilpatrick, who runs the new Homeless Persons' Legal Service, Street Law, spoke about the importance of the Report in highlighting the barriers experienced by women living with mental health issues in accessing information, support, representation and advocacy in the current legal system, and endorsed the Report’s recommendations for improving ACT service provision to these women. Dr Helen Watchirs, the ACT Human Rights and Discrimination Commissioner launched the Report with a very supportive speech about WCHM and how her work is highlighting the same problems for women living with mental health issues.
Out of Reach captures the personal stories of women living with mental health issues in the ACT and their ‘lived experience’ in accessing legal advice, support, representation and advocacy in the ACT, as well as feedback from service providers and community based organisations that provide support to women experiencing mental health issues. Please refer to the reports and publications section for a full copy of the report.
Both Amy and Helen were interviewed on camera by the ABC, and the co-author of the Report (our staff member Kate Judd ) was also interviewed.
An ABC online news report of the event can be found at: Legal system inaccessible to women with mental illness
A copy of Helen's speech can be found at:
Women and Prisons Forum
The ACT Women and Prisons Group (WAP) supported by the ACT Women's Services Network held a forum on Monday June 28 to discuss issues regarding female prisoners for the ACT Corrections' “Independent Review of the Alexander Maconochie Centre”.
The ACT Women and Prisons Group (WAP) held the forum in order to share experiences, suggestions and learnings, which will support WAP to make the voices of the women in AMC, and those of ex women prisoners, heard as part of the evaluation process.
A submission will now be made to the review, which will contribute to the understanding of the issues regarding female prisoners in the AMC.
Report Launch: Out of Reach - Women living with mental health issues in the ACT: What hinders their access to legal support?
The Women’s Centre for Health Matters and the ACT Women and Mental Health Working Group’s commissioned report, Out of Reach - Women living with mental health issues in the ACT: What hinders their access to legal support? was launched by the ACT Human Rights and Discrimination Commissioner, Dr Helen Watchirs, on Monday June 21 at the ACT Legislative Assembly.
The launch was very successful with over 50 people attending, including WCHM Board members, Shane Rattenbury and Amanda Bresnan from the Greens, and 3 members of the media including ABC TV.
Amy Kilpatrick, who runs the new Homeless Persons' Legal Service, Street Law, spoke about the importance of the Report in highlighting the barriers experienced by women living with mental health issues in accessing information, support, representation and advocacy in the current legal system, and endorsed the Report’s recommendations for improving ACT service provision to these women. Dr Helen Watchirs, the ACT Human Rights and Discrimination Commissioner launched the Report with a very supportive speech about WCHM and how her work is highlighting the same problems for women living with mental health issues.
Out of Reach captures the personal stories of women living with mental health issues in the ACT and their ‘lived experience’ in accessing legal advice, support, representation and advocacy in the ACT, as well as feedback from service providers and community based organisations that provide support to women experiencing mental health issues. Please refer to the reports and publications section for a full copy of the report.
Both Amy and Helen were interviewed on camera by the ABC, and the co-author of the Report (our staff member
An ABC online news report of the event can be found at: Legal system inaccessible to women with mental illness
A copy of Helen's speech can be found at:
Women and Prisons Forum
The ACT Women and Prisons Group (WAP) held the forum in order to share experiences, suggestions and learnings, which will support WAP to make the voices of the women in AMC, and those of ex women prisoners, heard as part of the evaluation process.
A submission will now be made to the review, which will contribute to the understanding of the issues regarding female prisoners in the AMC.
Submissions
The Women’s Centre for Health Matters is currently preparing submissions in response to the following developments in women’s health and wellbeing, and we would welcome any views and opinions you think should be included in our submissions. Just email your input to us at admin@wchm.org.au
None currently.
Consultations
None currently.