Echo’s Mandate is to be the focal point and catalyst for women’s health at the provincial level. Echo promotes equity and improved health for women by working in collaborative partnerships with the health system, communities, researchers and policy-makers.
We fulfill this role through:
Idea Generation and Selection. We work with stakeholders to generate innovative methods of advancing knowledge of women’s health in Ontario and translating that knowledge into health improvements for women in Ontario.
Advancing Knowledge. We invest in community-and policy-relevant research, through funding research, conducting research and partnering with others.
Facilitating Stewardship. We encourage policy advancements through supporting the uptake of policy enhancements. We solicit expert advice from community women and other stakeholders, and advise on and promote policy for the Ontario Government, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, and other stakeholders.
Strengthening Communities. By engaging researchers, health professionals, users, advocates, and policy-makers, we translate knowledge through developing evidence-based practice tools and providing stakeholder investment services.
Effective knowledge transfer is critical
Echo will strengthen Ontario’s health care system and improve women’s health through knowledge translation. It is now recognized that considerable time and funding have been spent on clinical research with little focus on ensuring the findings of the research are understood by the stakeholders, decision-makers and the public.
Through dissemination and exchange of knowledge and by turning the theoretical into the practical, Echo will promote the overall improvement of women’s health in Ontario.
We’re putting a focus on health needs specific to women
Many health conditions, such as ovarian and cervical cancer are specific to women. Others such as eating disorders and depression affect women more than men. And some, such as heart disease and HIV, are more serious in women. Echo’s goal is to raise awareness of these differences and provide more focus on women’s specific health needs.
For example, recent studies have shown that the cardiovascular damage caused by depression due to unhealthy relationships may have a greater impact on women. Targeting the causes of depression and finding solutions will improve the health of women as well as the overall health of women’s relationships, including children and families.