.4 Vol 9:3 June, 1988 Collective Members INSIDE Susan Elliott, Alice Grange Diana Majury, Lisa McCaskell Administration Amy Gottlieb, Katie Pellizzari Advertising Alice Grange Circulation/Promotion Lynn Goldblatt, Amy Gottlieb, Tara Toutant Copy Editing/Proofing Elizabeth Allemang, Susan Elliott Design/Production FEATURES Al ice Grange (coordinator), collective II Welfare: Far From Well members, Bernadine Arsenault, Amyra Women and Social Assistance Braha, Pam Bristol, Connie Clement, Joanne Doucette Katie Pellizzari, Barbara Muirhead, Pam Russell 14 Not Quite a Refuge Editorial Refugee Women in Canada Amy Gottlieb (coordinator), collective Christina Lee members, Heather AIIm, Frumie Diamond, Sue Kaiser, Bonnie Lafave, 17 Where Have All the Nurses Gone? Heather Ramsay, Linda Rosenbaum Technology vs. Hands-On Care Typesetting Pat Armstrong Lynne Fernie/Type A 24 Daughters of the Dispossessed Printing Delta Web Graphics Prostitution in the Philippines N Cover Photo N Freda Guttman, Robert Majzels, Amy Gottlieb V Colette St-Hilaire V Editorial & Advertising Offices 28 Gatekeepers 14 Skey Lane, Toronto, Ont. M6J 3C4 A Challenge to Health Promotion (416) 532-0812 V Kathy Fitzpatrick Subscription Offices 0 511 King St. W, Toronto, Ont. M5V 2Z4 C-) (416) 591-1381 ALWAYS IN HEALTHSHARING Published quarterly by Women Healthsharing, Inc. Anyone wishing to 3 Collective Notes make a tax-deductible donation ($10 or The Privilege of Health more) should send a cheque payable Plagiarism to Women Healthsharing Inc. Women Healthsharing endeavours to 4 Letters print material with which we agree; however not every article or column 7 Updates reflects the opinion of all collective members. 20 My Story, Our Story Authors and artists retain copyright, Organizing Homeless Women 1988. No part of this magazine may be Women for Change reprinted without prior permission. Unsolicited manuscripts or artwork 32 Reviews should include a stamped self-addressed An Error in Judgement envelope. A writing guideline is available upon request. No Way! Not Me ISSN: 0226-1510. Second Class Mail 34 Thematic Resources Registration: 5327. Women Healthsharing receives 36 Resources and Events financial support front Women’s Program, Secretary of State and Employment & Immigration. V are available upon C Advertising rates -w request. C Indexed in the Alternative Press Index; V available on microfilm and microfiche from Micromedia (158 Pearl St., Toronto). Subscription rates are $9/year, individuals; $17/year, organizations and groups. Add $2.00 to all foreign subscriptions, including subscriptions to the United States. HEALTHSHARING SUMMER, 1988 3 traception and free health care. These women are proving to us that COLLECTIVE NOTES it is possible to work for change and see it start to happen in our life times. Health does not have to be a privilege. The Privilege of Health This issue Healthsharing welcomes our new managing editor, Amy Got tlieb. A long time reader and suppor ter of Healthsharing as well as our proofreader for the last 2 years, Amy In this thematic issue of Healthshar Refugee Women in Canada,” Chris comes to us with both enthusiasm ing we have begun to examine some tina Lee examines the availability of and experience. Amy has been in of the connections between eco health services for refugee women volved in the women’s movement for nomics and women’s health. It is a and offers some suggestions as to many years and is an experienced dismal fact that in 1988, women on how their situation could be im writer and editor. All of us are average still earn only 67 cents for proved. Health providers must pro pleased to have found such a capa every dollar that a male earns. And vide care in ways that are culturally ble and energetic replacement for that amount is even lower for immi sensitive and accessible to all Connie Clement. grant women, women of colour and Canadians. It is with sadness at the same time disabled women. Although in the long run a that Healthsharing members, staff Economics has a direct impact on healthier population will mean de and readers say goodbye to Connie women’s health. Many of us view creased health care costs, there is an Clement. A founding member of Wo such a statement as a truism — one immediate need for money to be in men Healthsharing in 1978 and our which is so overwhelming that it can vested into new health initiatives. managing editor for the last three render us powerless. Where should But that isn’t happening. Instead, years, Connie has been an integral our work begin? Should we spend federal and provincial governments part of the magazine for its entire our energy trying to change an in are trying to pare down budgets in history. For the past 10 years she equitable economic system, a system the hospital sector — cutbacks that has devoted countless hours to fund- where, as writer Joanne Doucette translate into fewer nurses and dete raising, grant writing, editing, net notes, “a native disabled woman who riorating working conditions as de working and all the jobs involved in drops out of school has a better scribed by Pat Armstrong in “Where publishing a national magazine. As a chance of winning a lottery than she Have All the Nurses Gone?”. And member of Healthsharing, Connie does of getting a job”? Or should we those groups that take the initiative has been one of the driving forces to be trying to make our present health like Gatekeepers in Thompson, Man establish a Canadian women’s health care system meet the needs of the itoba are finding their funding cut off network as well as being active in majority of Canadian women? Per just as they were getting a number the campaigns against Depo Pro- haps we have to do both. The arti of self-help groups off the ground. vera, DES and the Dalkon Shield. cles in this issue demonstrate that As Kathy Fitzpatrick explains in Connie continues her work as a wo change is possible, that we are “Gatekeepers: A Challenge to Health men’s health advocate as the Family powerful enough to be heard. Promotion”, more than just a facility Planning Program Coordinator at Health should not be a privilege. is at stake — people were determin Toronto’s Public Health Department. Money is directly related to quality ing their own needs and setting up All of us thank Connie for the en of life, from healthy housing to nu services to match. Groups like Low ergy, commitment and love she has tritious food. Money and class posi Income Families Together, described offered Healthsharing and the tion in society grant access to many in Doucette’s article, “Welfare: Far women’s health movement for the health resources and services and to from Well”, find their efforts to ob last 10 years. the knowledge that these services tain funding so draining that many are available. The health promotion members simply burn out before Susan Elliott movement and its resources are they can achieve their objective. A lice Grange often biased toward white middle Endeavours like Gatekeepers Diana Majury class women who have a strong prove that women aren’t merely con Lisa McCaskell sense of themselves as individuals sumers but with proper funding can and their responsibility for their own also determine our own needs and health. Available services are often develop our own health services. provided in the image of the service Halfway around the world, some wo provider — educated, highly moti men in the Philippines are also refus vated and literate in English. ing to be just health care consumers. And what about less privileged “The Daughters of the Dispossessed” newcomers to the Canadian health describes a cafe where prostitutes care system? In “Not Quite a Refuge: can get information on AIDS, con- 4 HEALTHSHARING SUMMER, 1988 More Collective Notes... publications, e.g. New International tion as possible with other wopien.” ist, The Optimist, Iranian Woman What is this? The implication is that PLAGIARIZE vt [plagiary]: to and Australia’s Lesbian News. Nu the author, not the periodical staff, is steal and pass (the ideas or words merous service and action organiza at fault! .. if the author was truly of another) as one’s own; use (a tions, university publishers and feminist, really cared about women, created production) without cred faculty have also reprinted with she wouldn’t mind that no one asked iting the source; vi: to commit lit permission. her permission to use something be erary theft: present as new or In fact, we can’t think of a situa longing to her, she wouldn’t mind original an idea or product de tion when permission was not that no one credited her labour and rived from an existing source. granted. We want materials from thinking, she wouldn’t mind that no Healthsharing to be reprinted far one knew she was sharing “as much How is it that when feminists speak and wide; our artists and authors information as possible with other so much of respect for one another, want the visibility for their work. women” by having done the re we don’t credit and respect each But we do expect the courtesy of search and writing in the first place! other’s work? Time after time we being asked — illustrators and au We’re not talking about hoarding have discovered articles and artwork thors should have the right to say knowledge; we’re talking about basic from Healthsharing in other feminist when and how work should be used. courtesy and respect. The example and progressive periodicals without The most recent example of work cited is all too common. We know our knowledge or consent. Drawings being plagiarized from Healthshar that small periodicals and feminist especially have a way of showing up ing is indicative of much reprinting organizations work under restric in magazine after magazine with no we have encountered.