Yesterday, the Mental Health Commission released Canada’s first-ever mental health strategy. The strategy has been warmly welcomed by many working in mental health fields, including the Canadian Mental Health Association, who is celebrating Mental Health Week under the banner “mental health for all.” The mental health strategy offers some promising directions for achieving good mental […]
Happy Pride II: Ensuring Health Equity For LGBTQ Communities
The inequitable health outcomes and the stigma, discrimination and other barriers to access to health faced by LGBTQ communities have been well documented. In celebrating Pride, we can also celebrate the enormous work done to address these inequities: from the pioneering HIV/AIDS movement that transformed not just the face of a crucial disease, but how […]
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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 […]
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Great holiday news as Ontario steps up with transitional funding for housing and homelessness supports
The Ontario government announced today that it would provide transitional funding of $42 million in 2013-14 for municipalities to develop and implement their consolidated housing and homelessness plans, which will set out how each muncipality addresses their local housing needs. The Wellesley Institute and community groups from across the province have been calling on the government to […]
Childhood obesity: it’s about more than banning marketing of junk food
The media had a field day yesterday with the proposal from Ontario’s Healthy Kids Panel to ban marketing of junk food to kids under 12. Sadly, this missed a number of crucial recommendations that would address the underlying contributors to childhood obesity. The Wellesley Institute provided a key report that informed the Healthy Kids Panel: […]
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“Ferociously” Acting On Equitable Access And Health Of Medically Uninsured Residents In Toronto
The Wellesley Institute, along with researchers, representatives from Community Health Centres (CHCs), Toronto Public Health, Women’s College, Association of Ontario Midwives, and frontline physicians and midwives were at City Hall yesterday to address the Toronto Board of Health on a Toronto Public Health report on medically uninsured residents. The tone of the meeting was set […]
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 […]
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The Wellesley Institute Memo On British-Type Split Purchaser-Provider Funding Models
The Wellesley was asked to follow-up our brief with research on the impact of the split purchaser-provider model used in the U.K. In this model the government purchases services from a wide range of providers through competitive bidding; there is extensive for-profit provision. This memo provides references and links to additional resources from the UK […]
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Equity-Driven Public Policy: ‘Wicked’ Evaluation Challenges
There has been increased international attention paid to persistent and pervasive health inequalities, and many countries and international organizations have developed comprehensive strategies to address the roots and impact of these disparities. A problem faced by all governments is how to know where to invest scarce public funds to make the most difference in reducing […]
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Health Equity Roadmap: Overview
I have been working with many researchers, practitioners, professional and community networks, LHINs, public health leaders, and governments on how to embed equity in health care planning, organization and delivery. This has covered a wide range of issues: from analyzing hospital equity plans and developing sector wide Community Health Centre plans; through specific issues such […]
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