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Building Capacity for Equity in Health Promotion- Project Description

What will the project do?

The project will work with health promoters and managers / decision makers in public health, community health centres and community organizations who work with racialized groups, especially those living in low income communities, to build capacity for equity in the areas of healthy eating, physical activity and mental health promotion.

Key activities will be the convening of 5-6 conferences in all four regions of the province (3-4 in English and 1-2 in French) in the fall of 2010. The project will undertake an environmental scan, develop a literature review and resources, and a directory of promising practices in Ontario and elsewhere. Building a province wide health equity network will be one of the results of the project.  The project envisages a strong role for an advisory committee and other partners.

Why such a project?

Health equity concerns those differences in population health that can be traced to unequal economic and social conditions and are systemic and avoidable – and thus inherently unjust and unfair (from Unnatural Causes – Is Inequality Making Us Sick?). Health equity research shows that taking an exclusive aggregate or whole of population approach to health promotion and health education runs the risk of widening inequities, because advantaged groups are in a better position to access and take advantage of information, incentives and programs. Because of this, equity needs to be considered at all levels – policy and strategy, designing actions and programs, and implementation and evaluation.

We need more coordinated, aligned and cross-sectoral interventions at the level of programs and services, and at policy and strategic levels. We need to move to taking an equity-focussed approach in a systematic and consistent manner across sectors that directly or indirectly impact our health.  

What are we hoping to achieve?

• Increased capacity for health intermediaries (at managerial and/or service delivery levels) to develop and deliver strategies, programs and services in ways that reduce health inequities for racialized groups living in low income communities and that promote a culture of health promotion, inclusion and equity. This includes greater awareness, improved skills, improved access to tools and strategies and case studies, shared learning and practice. 
• Potential partnerships and opportunities identified to enable all population groups to have opportuntities for heathy living and mental health.
• Build a province wide health equity network.  

How can you participate?

Many of us are already involved in individual or collaborative efforts to address health equity as it pertains to racialized communities. This project will build on the work and connections and expertise already in place across the province and even beyond.

A representative Advisory Committee will provide input and advice. Members already confirmed are the Colour of Poverty, Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, Sudbury and District Health Unit, South East Ottawa Community Health Centre, Réseau du soutien à l’immigration francophone and Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

We are seeking a few additional members for the Advisory Committee. We are looking for organizations that have a good understanding of and commitment to health equity; experience in community development, engagement and capacity building; experience in policy, planning, delivery, implementation and evaluation of programs and services for racialized communities around healthy eating, physical activity and mental health promotion; and good local connections and networks especially with racialized communities.  We are particularly interested in members who are from community organizations; from the Ottawa region who work with francophone racialized communities; from South West Ontario.

There will be five Advisory Committee meetings in all. The first Advisory Committee meeting will be held on February 9 by from 9.30 to 11.30 am by teleconference. The second will be held late in March this year. Further meetings will be scheduled based on the initial work. Each meeting will last roughly two hours.

Some Advisory Committee members will also be local co-hosts for the fall 2010 day long conferences. If you are interested in co-hosting, please indicate this.

As the project proceeds, we will be developing a website  and looking at other ways of engaging stakeholders, so that we are able to build on the wealth of knowledge, experience and passion that is out there.

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We see this as more than a “project” – it has the potential to build strong networks, to draw together various initiatives that are addressing health equity, to learn from each other, help identify research questions, and build strategic alliances that can take this work forward in a more effective and high impact manner to create a healthier Ontario, especially for those communities that face the greatest health inequities.

For more information, contact:
Subha Sankaran, at s.sankaran@healthnexus.ca, or at 416-408-6915.