HALIFAX, N.S. – Women over the age of 40 in Nova Scotia will soon have access to specialized health care dedicated to dealing with their health issues. Today, Premier Tim Houston announced that a re-elected PC Government will invest in Canada’s first ever Menopause Centre of Excellence dedicated to managing symptoms related to perimenopause, menopause and postmenopause.
“There are nearly 350,000 women in Nova Scotia over the age of 40 who are managing menopause, post-menopause or approaching menopause. Traditionally these women have not received the attention they deserve from our healthcare system,” said Houston. “We’re going to fix that by providing the improved access to specialized care that these women deserve.”
A re-elected PC Government will work with Dr. Maria Migas and Dr. Shawna O’Hearn, co-founders of the Menopause Society of Nova Scotia, to establish the new clinic, which will reduce pressure on the IWK hospital by providing access to, in addition to a family doctor and primary care providers, a dedicated physiotherapist, psychologist, dietician, occupational therapist, obstetrician-gynecologist and urogynecologist services. Start-up costs for this clinic would be in the range of $4 million, with annual costs of approximately $2.4 million.
In addition, the re-elected PC Government will also explore adding new MSI billing codes for menopause counselling to support family doctors as they in turn support women.
“I’m certainly not going to pretend that I understand this issue. But I know enough to listen to the women in my life who are experiencing menopause. I’m also not going to pretend that I have the answers to this issue, but I know enough to trust the experts who do,” said Houston. “This clinic will reduce wait times for women seeking care, allow for self-referrals, all while reducing the pressure on the IWK. It will provide answers when there are questions and a path to care and treatment when it is needed. Let’s take the next step forward for women’s health. Let’s make it happen.”
“This is an important step forward for women to be treated with relevant care through midlife and the menopause transition. This commitment will have life changing impacts on Nova Scotia women’s health and wellbeing.” Dr Shawna O’Hearn and Dr Maria Migas, Co-founders, Menopause Society of Nova Scotia.