New health clinic for Asian women
CMAJ 1997;157:1337
© 1997 Canadian Medical Association
Vancouver's Asian Women's Health Clinic, which was established in 1994 to increase the rate of cervical- and breast-cancer screening among Chinese women, has had to expand to meet growing demand. It is now located at Mount Saint Joseph Hospital, a major centre for multicultural facilities, and has tripled the number of hours it is open because of the area's continuing influx of immigrants.
The clinic addresses language and cultural barriers that make women leery of seeking gynecologic and breast examinations by employing only female doctors who speak Mandarin and Cantonese. Dr. Lorna Sent, the medical director, says male physicians, even those who speak a Chinese dialect, present the major cultural barrier to these women. There are still relatively few female physicians of Chinese descent living in BC's Lower Mainland. More than 40% of women using the clinic for the first time had never had a breast examination.
As well, studies indicate a far higher incidence of cervical cancer in Asian women than Caucasian women. Asian women generally consider gynecologic care separate from the other health issues that bring them to a family doctor's office, explains Sent. Educational material on Pap smears and breast health has been developed at the clinic, and women undergo screening mammography on site.
Regina Li of SUCCESS, a Chinese community agency, says the clinic has been "very successful." Because of its word-of-mouth popularity, the agency no longer needs to promote the facility. Li says most of its clients have immigrated to Canada within the last 3 years and are attracted to it because of its female physicians. Only about half require their doctor to speak Chinese, since they possess adequate English.
Dr. Lois Yelland, medical health officer for Vancouver's East Health Unit, says the sheer numbers of Asian women needing service prompted the decision to open a clinic dedicated to them. Other clinics have taken a different approach. The Bridge Clinic, which is also at Mount St. Joseph Hospital, attracts women from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Its goal is to help women adapt to the Canadian health care system by encouraging them to seek care from their own family doctors. -- © Heather Kent
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