IWK's Endometriosis and Chronic Pelvic Pain Clinic

SUSAN LEBLANC: I want to introduce a few people from the Endometriosis and Chronic Pelvic Pain Clinic at the IWK Health Centre who have joined us today. They’re over in the gallery opposite, and as I say their names, I’ll ask them to rise. Dr. Allanna Munro is an anaesthesiologist who specializes in chronic pelvic pain. Leah Pink is a nurse practitioner who works in the clinic. Linda MacEachern is a social worker who provides pain education and counselling at the clinic. Kathryn Hawkins is a pelvic floor physiotherapist who provides pain education and treatment in the clinic. Also working in the clinic but not present today are two gynecologists who specialize in endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain: Dr. Elizabeth Randle and Dr. Brigid Nee. Also, we would like to welcome today Maggie Archibald and Faith Lamoureux, who have shared their stories of accessing care for endometriosis in Nova Scotia. Of course, all of this is in light of the fact that today, March 1st, marks the beginning of the very first Endometriosis Awareness Month in Nova Scotia. I would like everyone to welcome our guests.

THE SPEAKER: Welcome, and thank you for being here and for all that you do. The honourable member for Dartmouth North. IWK CHRONIC PAIN CLINIC: IMPORTANT WORK -THANKS

SUSAN LEBLANC: Speaker, I rise today to recognize the work of the IWK Health Centre’s Endometriosis and Chronic Pelvic Pain Clinic. In 2021 the clinic opened, the first of its kind in Atlantic Canada, thanks to the hard work and advocacy of clinicians and the public. When it opened, nurse Leah Pink said: “Drawing on the expertise of multiple health care professionals and by using innovative strategies to provide care we will better meet the needs of this underserviced patient population.” This interdisciplinary care model is the gold standard. Endometriosis costs our medical system in ER visits and many often-unnecessary tests, due to a lack of understanding and the long delays people face in getting diagnosis and treatment. It also costs those who suffer from endometriosis in wages lost while unable to work, and time away from family and friends, and pain and money for physiotherapy, and other out-ofpocket expenses to manage chronic pain. Thanks to this clinic, more Nova Scotians have access to the treatment and support they need as well as qualified support. I ask the House to join me in thanking Dr. Allana Munro, Leah Pink, Linda MacEachern, Kathryn Hawkins, and their colleagues for their work in expanding badly needed endometriosis care in our province.

Endometriosis Awareness Month - March 28, 2023 Members Statement

Mr. Speaker, as my honourable colleague has just said, March is Endometriosis Awareness Month. I rise today to call on this House to prioritize funding for reproductive health care and endometriosis care in Nova Scotia. Reproductive health care and health care specific to people with uteruses is often not taken as seriously as it should be. This is especially the case when it comes to menstruation and the pain that comes with it. In Canada, one million people - 1 in 10 women and an unknown number of transgender and gender nonconforming people - live with endometriosis. This is a gynecological condition where tissue grows outside the uterus. Endometriosis symptoms include severe menstrual pain, chronic pelvic pain, and infertility. Many spend years trying to get an accurate diagnosis so that they can get proper treatment. Sometimes these folks are told that this excruciating pain is normal, but it is anything but. Symptoms are managed using a combination of medical and surgical care. I call on this government to prioritize the health care for people with uteruses and ensure that we have the specialists and funding necessary to address endometriosis in our province. (Applause)