Inner City Women's Project
Posted by Tamisan Bencz-Knight
on May 12, 2014
IUDs?
It was lovely to hear about the new inner-city women’s project our club has helped support financially. Dr. Ami Shing of the Boyle McCauley Health Centre [10628-96 Street] joined us to share a little about the direct impact this donation has on women within Edmonton.
First, we will begin with a brief explanation about what an IUD is. The letters IUD stand for "intrauterine device." IUDs are small, "T-shaped" devices made of flexible plastic. A health care provider inserts an IUD into a woman's uterus to prevent pregnancy. The IUD remains in the uterus as long as contraception is desired. An IUD is safe, effective and long lasting. It will not prevent a sexually transmitted infection; however, women living in the inner city, in high-risk lifestyles or close to the poverty line often do not want to become pregnant.
Dr. Ami Shing has been living in Edmonton since 1991 and didn't even realize that there were so many women living on the street and pregnant. Challenges from these pregnancies are children that have FAS and both mother and child suffer poor nutrition. Birth control pills are problematic because of the need to be on time and daily. Injectable birth control will only be good for a year and women need to be sure of the timing to get the next shot. IUDs solve much of these problems as once inserted the IUD will last anywhere from 5 to 7 years. The biggest problem is the cost and that Alberta Health does not cover IUDs. What do you do if you had no benefits and no disposable income? The Inner City Women’s Project provides the opportunity for the woman to control and make her own reproductive decisions.
The need for a practical birth control and funding was in order. A cost for one device is $350. Riverview Rotary has donated funds to pay for IUDs for women in these situations. Our donation has a direct impact on the women who can access this program. This is a proactive response to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Many of the women who are helped have multiple challenges such as poverty, homelessness, domestic violence, and lack of knowledge.
Motherhood in adolescence reduces chances of success for a women. There are dangers for both the mother and the child’s health. It also contributes to the cycle of poverty. Ten women have benefited from the program to date. Through the Boyle McCauley Health Centre, Health Care professionals see that there is a clear need and desire to access a reliable and safe way to plan their family for better opportunities in the future. Thank you Riverview Rotary for supporting this initiative.