Wellesley Institute

Wellesley Institute works in research and policy to improve health and health equity in the GTA through action on the social determinants of health.

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Health systems and Health equity

Barriers and enablers to primary care access for equity-deserving populations in Ontario

Sarah Sanford, Yu-ling Yin, Christine Sheppard |

Close up filling out paperwork while waiting for medical examination at doctor's office.

Primary care is a foundational part of the healthcare system. Yet many Ontarians lack a regular healthcare provider and there are inequities accessing primary care services, especially for racialized, low-income and 2SLBGTQ+ populations.    This scoping review identified 68 peer-review studies that discussed 17 different barriers and enablers to primary care access for these populations. While […]

Continue ReadingBarriers and enablers to primary care access for equity-deserving populations in Ontario  Download PublicationBarriers and Enablers to Primary Care Access for Equity Deserving Populations in Ontario – A Scoping Review

Healthcare for substance use is supported by evidence

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Images of the drug toxicity crisis in Canada are harrowing. In 2023, an average of 22 people died every day from opioid toxicity. It’s a crisis that has captured the attention of Canadians, and almost everyone agrees something needs to be done.    The Ontario government announced last month they would commit $378 million dollars over […]

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Federal Budget 2024: Positive steps, but still no targets

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Tents in a park with a sign that says "Permanent solutions"

This year’s proposed federal budget takes some important steps forward on issues that are crucial to population health and health equity. In particular, we acknowledge that the government proposes to increase its investments in affordable housing and ending homelessness and is introducing funding for the Canada Disability Benefit, which will provide assistance to low-income persons […]

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Crisis team expansion a welcome step

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Focused Indian female professional crisis call center agent operator wearing wireless headset work in customer care support service team.

The recently approved City of Toronto budget, which nearly doubled funding to the Toronto Community Crisis Service (TCCS), is a welcome step to better support people experiencing crisis. TCCS is a non-police-led mental health crisis response that some consider the city’s fourth emergency service.   Vulnerable people experiencing a mental health crisis too often face coercive […]

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Federal budget 2024: COVID highlights need for health equity

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Wellesley Institute’s Pre-Budget Written Submission Canada has significant inequities in the social determinants of health, including housing, income, education, discrimination and access to health and social care. We also continue to see these inequities played out through the ongoing disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and long COVID on Black, Indigenous and other racialized communities, low-income […]

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A Black Health Plan for Ontario

Black Physicians' Association of Ontario, Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre, Black Health Alliance, Wellesley Institute, Ontario Health |

The Black Health Plan was developed jointly by Ontario Health, the Wellesley Institute and the Black Health Alliance as a call to action to reduce disparities and advance equity in Ontario. It provides a template to inform planning and action for other populations facing systemic disadvantages. The plan is built along three pillars: the development […]

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2023 Ontario budget

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Local Woman Walking Her Dog in Front of Colourful Brick Wall in Toronto, Ontario

In advance of last year’s provincial budget, we called for important, necessary public strategies to build a New Normal in Ontario. Our focus was around poverty, homelessness, race, healthcare, mental health and well-being, while leading the fight against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, we have not seen the progress we hoped to on those measures. […]

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Moving forward on a national health data system

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A magnifying glass hovering over a lightbulb icon on a blue background

Canada’s federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments agree that we need to rebuild and improve our health systems. The dream of access to high quality comprehensive effective health systems is alive and well in Canada, but only for the minority. Today, timely preventative care, barrier-free access to necessary tests, short surgery wait times and after […]

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The delayed response to long COVID: Prioritizing equity

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Long COVID

We are in the midst of a 7th wave of COVID-19. We are seeing infections, hospitalizations and deaths rise. Our communities, services and economy are strained because of burnout and the number of people off sick.   But these early impacts are not the final story. We now know that a portion of people who […]

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Ontario budget 2022: A more equitable future, an equitable now

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Wellesley Institute research has long demonstrated significant health disparities for low-income and racialized people. Like past crises, the COVID-19 pandemic intensified these disparities. Our pandemic response did not focus on equity – on helping the Ontarians who needed help the most. We must not make continue to make the same mistake. We need to ensure […]

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Acknowledgement of Traditional Land

We wish to acknowledge this land on which the Wellesley Institute operates. For thousands of years, it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land.

Revised by the Ceremonial Committee at the University of Toronto Office of Indigenous Initiatives in April 2021.