Public health has long led the way on driving equity into action – whether Sudbury’s ten promising practices, Saskatoon’s ground-breaking local research and concerted action, Toronto’s work on income inequality and other determinants, the recent comprehensive local equity strategy from Simcoe Muskoka to the National Collaborating Centre on Determinants of Health coordinating and enabling role […]
Health systems and Health equity
Social Determinants of Health In Action
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 addressed more immediately. One direction is the work that community health centres do in delivering community-based primary care and […]
The Last Straw! A Board Game on the Social Determinants of Health
The Last Straw! A Board Game on the Social Determinants of Health, co-funded by the Wellesley Institute, is a fun way for players to learn how the daily life cycles and social conditions of individuals and communities can affect health and illness – think ‘Monopoly’ with social conscience and analysis. The Last Straw! shows how […]
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Building Equity In: Hospital Planning And Service Delivery
Hospitals are a vital part of the health care system. Some hospitals have developed equity plans and made strong commitments to meeting the needs of health disadvantaged populations, and ensuring equitable access and quality in their services and within their organizations; others less so. This is a short briefing note on pressures hospitals will be […]
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Building a Social Assistance System that Enables Good Health for All: Start from a Powerful Vision
Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been blogging about the submission to the Commission for the Review of Social Assistance in Ontario that the Wellesley Institute wrote as part of a collaboration of health leaders. So far, I’ve blogged about the submission itself and about how the social assistance system causes poor health. This […]
Closing The Health Council Of Canada: Another Missed Opportunity
By Bob Gardner and Emily Wong The federal government’s decision to stop funding the Health Council of Canada as of March 2014 had prompted an outcry from the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) and other health care organizations, which fear the loss of an independent voice to monitor health system performance and reform. CMA president, Dr. […]
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Reaction to Conservative Task Force on Gun-related Violence
Yesterday, Stephen Harper announced the establishment of a Conservative Task Force focusing on gun-related crime in cities. The task force will tour Canada to meet with victims, agencies, law enforcement and local politicians. Earlier this year the Conservative party opposed a federal Budget proposing a renewed investment in social welfare. Yet, considerable research has shown […]
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Measuring Social Well-Being Not Just GDP
A recent post from the European Public Health Alliance on Measuring Progress in a Changing Europe argues for moving well beyond GDP as the dominant measure of social progress. There is growing international recognition of the links between material and overall social well-being and that the equitable distribution of wealth and resources as well as […]
Equity-Focused Planning: Drilling Down in Psychiatry and Clarifying Our Conceptual Framework
One crucial component of ensuring more equitable health care is good planning, and one effective tool is Health Equity Impact Assessment. We just published two new primers on HEIA and Mental Well-being Impact Assessment and we have been presenting a number of workshops to providers and planners.
Should social assistance ensure access to health care services, or keep people from getting sick? Both, actually.
The social assistance system causes poor health. The low levels of income supports combined with inadequate supplementary supports like affordable child care and transportation mean that people on social assistance do not have a fair chance at good health. I’ve blogged about this, and have set out some solutions such as building a basket of […]