Ottawa, ON – October 23, 2024 – There are significant health inequities and obstacles preventing Canadian women from getting proper care, which have been overlooked or disregarded for too long. In fact, two in five Canadian women will experience psychological, physical, or sexual violence by an intimate partner in their life-time. Immigrant Women Services Ottawa is helping to change this with their new Healthy Directions program for immigrant and racialized women in Ottawa and sur-rounding areas who are victims of violence. This program is being funded by the Shoppers Foundation for Women’s Health™ Community Grants Program.

“As an organization dedicated to supporting immigrant and racialized women experiencing violence, our clients encounter numerous obstacles in accessing essential healthcare, even under ordinary circumstances. These challenges often stem from language barriers, limited social networks, and unfamiliarity with their legal rights, hindering their ability to seek necessary medical care,” said Mercy Lawluvi, Executive Director of IWSO.

“We’re honoured to support organizations like Immigrant Women Services Ottawa to find new ways to provide better access to care and health services for women,” said Paulette Minard, Director, Community Investment, Shoppers Foundation for Women’s Health. “We are on a mission to make women’s health visible. The Foundation is doing this by investing $50 million by 2026 through initiatives such as our Community Grants Program to make access to equitable and inclusive care for women in Cana-da possible.”

For more than a decade, Shoppers Drug Mart has supported women’s health charities across Canada. Shoppers Foundation for Women’s Health™ aims to build on this legacy by reducing health inequalities women face. This year, 41 charitable organizations have received grants of up to $100,000 from the Community Grants Program to ensure women can access the care and support they deserve.

While this is not a solution to the complex issue of women’s health inequity, this funding is an important step to support the system changes needed to help women and families across Canada and contributes to the Shoppers Foundation for Women’s Health™ ongoing commitment to advance women’s health equity.

About Immigrant Women Services Ottawa:
The mandate of (IWSO) is to empower immigrant and racialized women in the City of Ottawa and surrounding areas to participate in the elimination of all forms of abuse against women; to provide culturally responsive services which will facilitate their access to community and mainstream services and provide other services/programs which will assist immigrant women in their journey to attain their full potential. Immigrant Women Services Ottawa is a community- based agency serving immigrant and racialized women. We create opportunities for women as they integrate into a new society, rebuild their lives free of violence, and achieve their personal goals.

About Shoppers Foundation for Women’s Health
Shoppers Foundation for Women’s Health™ – the charitable arm of Shoppers Drug Mart – is committed to helping Canadian women lead healthier lives, by making care more equitable and accessible. The Foundation will invest $50M by 2026 to address some of the most pressing health inequities facing women, including lack of representation in health research, barriers to accessing mental healthcare, and the urgent consequences women disproportionately face due to poverty and domestic violence. Learn more at shoppersfoundation.ca.

About Shoppers Drug Mart™:
Shoppers Drug Mart Inc. is one of the most recognized and trusted names in Canadian retailing. The company is the licensor of full-service retail drug stores operating under the name Shoppers Drug Mart® (Pharmaprix® in Québec). With almost 1,300 Shoppers Drug Mart® and Pharmaprix® stores operating in prime locations in each province and two territories, the company is one of the most convenient retailers in Canada. The company also licenses or owns 70 medical clinic pharmacies operating under the name Shoppers Simply Pharmacy® (Pharmaprix Simplement Santé® in Québec). As well, the company owns and operates 43 corporate Wellwise by Shoppers Drug Mart™ stores and an ecommerce site Wellwise.ca, making it the largest Canadian retailer of home health care products and services. In addition to its retail store network, the company owns Shoppers Drug Mart Specialty Health Net-work Inc., a provider of specialty drug distribution, pharmacy and comprehensive patient support services, MediSystem Inc., a provider of pharmaceutical products and services to long-term care facilities and Lifemark Health Group, Canada’s leading provider of outpatient physiotherapy, massage therapy, occupational therapy, chiro-practice, mental health, and other ancillary rehabilitation services. Shoppers Drug Mart™ is an independent operating division of Loblaw Companies Limited.