Ongoing massive changes to health care delivery and organization continue and ambitious plans to restructure the system are much debated within government, practitioner and community circles. The HIV community and service providers are vitally interested in the implications of Local Health Integration Networks, primary care reform, alternative practice structures and other key changes. I recently […]
Effective And Responsive Community Engagement
Written as a type of planning checklist for Ontario’s LHINs (2006), this paper by Bob Gardner sets out critical success factors for developing responsive and effective community engagement. Download this file.
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Second Stage of Medicare
One of the most important challenges facing the progressive health community is how to try to frame the debate in ways that will win public support and shift the way health reform is understood. Public opinion data clearly shows solid support for the values of universal access and Medicare, but there are also widespread worries […]
Blueprint for Health Equity
I am making a speech on a Blueprint for Health Equity at the Canadian Federation of Nurses Union conference in Moncton in August. I will highlight pervasive health disparities, detail key components of an integrated and comprehensive policy framework to enhance health equity, and set out some ideas on how to mobilize to win the […]
Winnipeg Integrated Health and Social Services
While the fundamental social determinants of health will only be fully addressed with major shifts in government policy and action, there are many innovative and effective ways in which their impact on health disparities can be tackled more immediately in front-line service delivery. One direction is where regional health authorities, community health centres and social […]
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Inclusive Cities Project
The Inclusive Cities project is a partnership of community social planning organizations and municipal politicians from across the country that seeks to enhance cities’ ability to enable and sustain social inclusion and to ensure the full diversity of community voices are valued and recognized. They have developed a range of very useful papers, including on: […]
European reports on policy action to address health inequalities
Two recent reports survey policy action on health inequalities in Europe. The first is a summary of the situation in 21 countries, examples of best practices for local interventions and overall conclusions derived from the European Union’s Closing the Gap project. The report stresses that “it is however at the local level where measures to […]
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Health Disparities, Neighbourhoods, and the UK Experience
In even the wealthiest countries there are pervasive and stark differences in health by neighbourhood and region, race, socio-economic conditions and opportunities, and other liens of social and economic inequality. Many governments are trying to develop comprehensive policy and programme action to address these health disparities. One at the municipal level is the Greater London […]
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Reducing Health Inequities through Better Health Promotion
The Victorian Health Promotion Foundation in the state of Victoria, Australia has recently released an outline on reducing health inequities through better health promotion. People, Places, Processes: Reducing Health Inequalities Through Balanced Health Promotion Approaches provides a a good overview of the health equity lens, and elements of a strategic framework, analytical review and workbook […]
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Addressing Health Disparities through Community Engagement
One precondition for successfully addressing health disparities is to build on local community-based initiatives and on the needs and perspectives of local residents. Incorporating the views, experience and priorities of residents, especially from the most disadvantaged and marginalized communities, into planning and resource allocation processes is vital to regional health planning and delivery that can […]
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