Menopause centre to open in Halifax next winter.

Nova Scotia will open the first menopause clinic in Atlantic Canada in Halifax next winter, with $4 million in startup funding and $2.4 million in annual operating support.

Nova Scotia's government is moving ahead with a 2024 election promise to open the first menopause clinic in Atlantic Canada. The Menopause Centre of Excellence will be based in the Halifax area and will also offer virtual appointments for people who live outside the city. The clinical service will include a multi-disciplinary team and the centre is planned to add research and education components over time. The province has allocated startup and operating funding to establish the facility. Key details: - The centre will be based in the Halifax area and will provide virtual appointments for those outside the city. - Clinical staff will include physicians, a nurse, a dietician and a pelvic floor physiotherapist. - The facility is intended to include research and educational components in the future. - The province has committed $4 million in startup funding and $2.4 million in annual operating support. - A tender is under way to determine the exact location, and officials expect the centre to open next winter. - Officials and the Menopause Society say they expect significant demand given the roughly 350,000 Nova Scotians experiencing some phase of menopause. Summary: The centre is intended to broaden access to publicly funded menopause care and to offer virtual options across the province. A tender will determine the facility's exact location and the government expects the centre to open next winter as it continues work with the Menopause Society, Nova Scotia Health and the IWK. The province has committed $4 million in startup funding and $2.4 million per year for operations.