The World Health Organization's European Office continues to provide comprehensive research and analysis on how a social determinants of health approach can be better incorporated into state policy. It supports a WHO Collaborating centre for Policy Research on Social Determinants of Health at the University of Liverpool in England. Recent reports include a discussion paper […]
WHO Health Equity Resources
The World Health Organization created a Commission on the Social Determinants of Health, whose site publishes a wide range of useful information resources. It has mobilized polity research and initiatives around the world, working with many countries including Canada. Its report is the subject of intensive discussion in many jurisdictions. The Public Health Agency of […]
When do we talk about health? Ontario’s option paper needs to build a stronger vision of a health-enabling social assistance system
Today the Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario released its much anticipated options paper. The paper sets out some interesting ideas and poses some challenging questions that will help to shape the debate around social assistance in the coming months. In our submission to the Commission, we started by arguing that the […]
What the Health Sector Can Do To Reduce Health Inequities
The Institute of Health Equity in London, led by Sir Michael Marmot, has published a major report on what the health sector can do to address health inequities and their roots in social determinants of health. Working for Health Equity: the Role of Health Professionals notes that “those in the health sector regularly bear witness […]
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Wellesley Institute response to the Ontario Social Assistance Review
UPDATE: Read our response here. In 2010, the provincial government established the Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario, led by Commissioners Francis Lankin and Munir A. Sheikh. The Commission’s task was to recommend reforms to social assistance benefit structures, expectations of and supports for labour market participation, and income and asset […]
Continue ReadingWellesley Institute response to the Ontario Social Assistance Review
Wellesley Institute Forum on Health Equity
with special guest Cory Neudorf Tackling Health Inequities: Lessons Learned from A Leading Health Region Cory Neudorf, Chief Medical Health Officer for Saskatoon Health Region, will be making a special lecture and leading a discussion on addressing health inequities at a local community level. Saskatoon has led the way in Canada in sophisticated research […]
Welcome to Ontario – Don’t Get Sick
Eliminating health disparities is a complex challenge. But not all of it: some solutions are quick and immediate. Ontario denies access to OHIP for new immigrants for three months. This is discriminatory and dangerous to a vulnerable population – and easily fixable. I am supporting the Right to Health Care Coalition’s demand to remove the […]
Wealth equals health in Toronto, but we can change that
A new study in Toronto shows how socioeconomic status can have a significant impact on your access to health care. The study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, examined whether patients who identified themselves as either a bank employee or a welfare recipient (implying that they had a high or low income) were able […]
Continue ReadingWealth equals health in Toronto, but we can change that
Water Fluoridation: Turning On The Tap to Reduce Health Inequities
Kids are back in school but parents might want to hold off on that sigh of relief. Beyond ensuring that their child finishes their homework and gets a decent lunch, parents need to worry about their child’s dental health, especially in some municipalities. Children are at particular risk of cavities; it is the second most […]
Continue ReadingWater Fluoridation: Turning On The Tap to Reduce Health Inequities
Volunteering & Health
Recent English research on volunteering highlights the analytical value of drilling down into small-scale neighbourhood-based analyses to better understand the dynamics of poor communities. More and more research, including projects in which the Wellesley Institute is involved, focuses on how variations in community structure and connections, access to services and other social determinants in local […]