Sheffield Hospitals Charity has handed out handmade yellow mimosa flowers to raise awareness of inequalities women face in healthcare on the 8th March.
For International Women’s Day this year, Sheffield Hospitals Charity aimed to highlight the problems that women face as patients and as staff in healthcare today.
The #NoWomanLeftBehind campaign was launched last International Women’s Day with three main focus areas of maternal health, NHS staff impacted by domestic abuse and early cancer diagnosis.
The campaign has been supported by important female figures from across the city, including Reverend and the Makers’ Laura McClure and Sheffield United Women FC players.
Corinna Pearce, marketing and communications officer for the charity, said: “Women and girls in Sheffield need our support more than ever which is why we launched this campaign.”
The charity gave wristbands, crochet and knitted yellow mimosa flowers out to the public as the flowers are famously associated with International Women’s Day, as a symbol of female strength, resilience, and empowerment.
The flowers were crafted by the charity’s “Crafting for Good” project where supporters create and donate their own gifts for those in need.
The Sheffield Hospital Charity has plans for projects that support NHS staff who have experienced or are experiencing domestic abuse, support for women during pregnancy and beyond, including mental health support and are supporting women in the most deprived areas of the city to access early cancer diagnosis screening.
Ms Pearce said: “There are social, moral, and economic reasons to invest in tackling women’s health inequalities in the city.”
According to the Sheffield Hospitals Charity website, women across Yorkshire and Humber have some of the highest domestic abuse rates in the country- with nurses three times more likely to experience domestic abuse than the average person.
The website also highlights the fact that female nurses and doctors are more likely to take their lives than their male counterparts, which makes the work and support this campaign creates even more important.
For more information about future events involving #NoWomanLeftBehind, follow Sheffield Hospitals Charity on social media or sign up to their website to keep up with dates and events.
