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Health and Philippine Canadians
Overview
Research
Filipino Nurses
References, Reports & Websites

Overview

According to the 2001 Census, Filipino-Canadians make up the third largest minority group in Canada, representing approximately 309,000 individuals (Statistics Canada, 2005).

Canadian research is scarce on the health of Filipino Canadians. An extremely limited number of studies on the health of Filipino Canadians were available for review. Significantly more research is required on the health status of Filipino communities in Canada.

(Top of Page)

Research

A community-based research study conducted by the Philippine Women’s Center of BC investigated the experiences and struggles of Filipino Mail-order brides in Canada (Philippine Women’s Center of BC, 2000). A total of 40 mail-order brides living in 5 Canadian provinces participated in this study. Many women reported that a deep desire to run away from the poverty in the Philippines was the main reason for the women migrating to Canada. The women’s stories indicated isolation, vulnerability, and marginalization. Many women reported experiencing various forms of abuse including emotional, physical and economic abuse. In addition, very few women reported reaching out to any form of social services. The study suggests various steps toward new policy development in the areas of violence against women, trafficking of women, economic assistance and immigration.

Boggild, Correia, Keystone, & Kain (2004) investigated the cases of leprosy seen at the tropical disease unit of the Toronto General Hospital. A total of 184 leprosy patient files between 1979-2002 were reviewed. Findings indicated that patients with leprosy were more likely to be male (66.3%) compared to female (33.7%). Interestingly, 26.6% of the leprosy patients were Filipino. It was suggested in this study that diagnosis of leprosy should be considered in dermatitis cases with nerve involvement in foreign-born individuals as well as individuals who travel to high risk areas. The complete article is available for review at the following link http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/reprint/170/1/55

Filipino Nurses

A few articles were found describing the number of Filipino immigrants working as a live-in caregiver through the Government of Canada’s Live-in Caregiver Program (Farrales, 2005; Rosen, 2001). Due to the extreme nursing shortage in Canada, thousands of highly educated and highly skilled Philippine women are being recruited to Canada under this program. The Filipino women are trained as qualified nurses in the Philippines; however they are not brought to Canada to work as nurses, but as under-paid and overqualified nannies and 24-hour home support workers. Under the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP), Filipino women are granted temporary immigration status and are required to live-in their employer’s home to provide services for a minimum of two years before they can become fully qualified licensed nurses in Canada. The Filipino Nurses Support Group is working hard to appeal to the Federal and provincial governments as well as many advocacy groups for recognition of the skills of the Filipino nurses in Canada.

(Top of Page)

References:

Boggild, A., Correia, J., Keystone, J., & Kain, K. (2004). Leprosy in Toronto: an analysis of 184 imported cases. Canadian Medical Association Journal. Available at http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/reprint/170/1/55

Rosen, R. (2001). Filipino Nurses in Canada. Canadian Women’s Health Network, 4(3), p.13.

Farrales, S. (2005). Canada wastes the skills of Filipino nurses. The Vancouver Sun, January 3rd, 2005, p.A7

Statistics Canada. (2005). Study: Canada’s visible minority population in 2017. Available at http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/050322/d050322b.htm

Philippine Women’s Center of BC. (2000). Canada: The New Frontier for Filipino Mail-Order Brides. (link no longer available)

Websites

Philippine Women’s Center of BC
http://pwc.bc.tripod.com/

Filipino Nurses Support Group
http://www2.vpl.vancouver.bc.ca/DBs/Redbook/orgPgs/4/4505.html

Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance
http://www2.vpl.vancouver.bc.ca/DBs/RedBook/orgPgs/3/3838.html

SIKLAB Filipino Migrant Workers Organization
http://www2.vpl.vancouver.bc.ca/DBs/RedBook/orgPgs/3/3836.html

(Top of Page)




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Diversity and Alberta Health Services Home Diversity Competency Resources Publications Demographics Programs & Services Health Info. for Diverse Populations Community Partners Contact Us Health and Ethnicity Chinese Canadians Philippine Canadians Southeast Asian Canadians Vietnamese Canadians Black Canadians First Nations, Inuit and Metis Populations Refugees Immigrants Sexual Orientation Seniors Persons with Disabilities Homeless Living in Poverty	Diversity and Alberta Health Services Diversity Resources Health and Diverse Populations Diversity FAQ's \| Diversity Library \| Research & Publications \| Definitions \| Health and Diverse Populations \| Healthy Diverse Populations in the Media Health and Philippine Canadians Overview Research Filipino Nurses References, Reports & Websites Overview According to the 2001 Census, Filipino-Canadians make up the third largest minority group in Canada, representing approximately 309,000 individuals (Statistics Canada, 2005). Canadian research is scarce on the health of Filipino Canadians. An extremely limited number of studies on the health of Filipino Canadians were available for review. Significantly more research is required on the health status of Filipino communities in Canada. (Top of Page) Research A community-based research study conducted by the Philippine Women’s Center of BC investigated the experiences and struggles of Filipino Mail-order brides in Canada (Philippine Women’s Center of BC, 2000). A total of 40 mail-order brides living in 5 Canadian provinces participated in this study. Many women reported that a deep desire to run away from the poverty in the Philippines was the main reason for the women migrating to Canada. The women’s stories indicated isolation, vulnerability, and marginalization. Many women reported experiencing various forms of abuse including emotional, physical and economic abuse. In addition, very few women reported reaching out to any form of social services. The study suggests various steps toward new policy development in the areas of violence against women, trafficking of women, economic assistance and immigration. Boggild, Correia, Keystone, & Kain (2004) investigated the cases of leprosy seen at the tropical disease unit of the Toronto General Hospital. A total of 184 leprosy patient files between 1979-2002 were reviewed. Findings indicated that patients with leprosy were more likely to be male (66.3%) compared to female (33.7%). Interestingly, 26.6% of the leprosy patients were Filipino. It was suggested in this study that diagnosis of leprosy should be considered in dermatitis cases with nerve involvement in foreign-born individuals as well as individuals who travel to high risk areas. The complete article is available for review at the following link http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/reprint/170/1/55 Filipino Nurses A few articles were found describing the number of Filipino immigrants working as a live-in caregiver through the Government of Canada’s Live-in Caregiver Program (Farrales, 2005; Rosen, 2001). Due to the extreme nursing shortage in Canada, thousands of highly educated and highly skilled Philippine women are being recruited to Canada under this program. The Filipino women are trained as qualified nurses in the Philippines; however they are not brought to Canada to work as nurses, but as under-paid and overqualified nannies and 24-hour home support workers. Under the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP), Filipino women are granted temporary immigration status and are required to live-in their employer’s home to provide services for a minimum of two years before they can become fully qualified licensed nurses in Canada. The Filipino Nurses Support Group is working hard to appeal to the Federal and provincial governments as well as many advocacy groups for recognition of the skills of the Filipino nurses in Canada. (Top of Page) References: Boggild, A., Correia, J., Keystone, J., & Kain, K. (2004). Leprosy in Toronto: an analysis of 184 imported cases. Canadian Medical Association Journal. Available at http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/reprint/170/1/55 Rosen, R. (2001). Filipino Nurses in Canada. Canadian Women’s Health Network, 4(3), p.13. Farrales, S. (2005). Canada wastes the skills of Filipino nurses. The Vancouver Sun, January 3rd, 2005, p.A7 Statistics Canada. (2005). Study: Canada’s visible minority population in 2017. Available at http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/050322/d050322b.htm Philippine Women’s Center of BC. (2000). Canada: The New Frontier for Filipino Mail-Order Brides. (link no longer available) Websites Philippine Women’s Center of BC http://pwc.bc.tripod.com/ Filipino Nurses Support Group http://www2.vpl.vancouver.bc.ca/DBs/Redbook/orgPgs/4/4505.html Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance http://www2.vpl.vancouver.bc.ca/DBs/RedBook/orgPgs/3/3838.html SIKLAB Filipino Migrant Workers Organization http://www2.vpl.vancouver.bc.ca/DBs/RedBook/orgPgs/3/3836.html (Top of Page)
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Health and Philippine Canadians Overview Research Filipino Nurses References, Reports & Websites

Overview

Health and Philippine Canadians
Overview
Research
Filipino Nurses
References, Reports & Websites