Women's Wellness Program grows as Islanders rely on services

P.E.I.'s Women's Wellness Program has grown by leaps and boundsin the past yearto keep up with the needs of many Islanders relying onitsservices,says the program's manager.

Health PEI began offeringservices through the program, including abortions and mental health support, in January 2017. Itthen added several more community-based services throughout the year.

"We've grown so much in the past year we're just trying to evaluate and see where we are with our services," said program manager Rachelle Pike.

"The need is there and we hope we're meeting it."

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Ahead of Mother's Day on May 13, Pike joinedCBCNews: Compasshost Louise Martin tospotlightmental health services offered by the program in a effort to remove the stigma surrounding postpartum depression.

"It's OK not to be OK," Pike said.

"We really want to talk about it, normalize it and take the stigma away from it it's not something that we always wanted to talk about.

"In the past few years we could see the change," Pike said.

'It's pretty common to experience anxiety'

The Women's Wellness Programcurrently offers sexual health and reproductive health services for all Islanders, regardless of gender or age.

Maternal mental health also falls under the programwhich offers short-term counselling during pre- and post-natal care.

Counselling is also available for those sufferingpregnancy loss as well and new mothers suffering from anxiety and depression, Pike said.

"It's pretty common to experience anxiety and depression during this period of your pregnancy ... and it's just kind of recognizing it as common and getting the help when you need it," she said

A rule of thumb, according to Pike, is if a new mother experiences persistent feelings of hopelessness, panic or fear for two weeks or more, they should seek help.

"Getting ready for a baby is a lot to take in, it's a lot deal with and sometimes these common mood disorders do kick in," she said.

Islanders don't need a referral from their doctor to usethe program they can call and book an appointment at1-844-365-8258.

The program now has services available inSummerside, Charlottetown,Souris,Albertonand O'Leary.

A new clinic is planned to be ready in fall 2019 at the Prince County Hospital, Pike said.

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