Health Equity
Welcome to the Health Equity for All Tool!
The Health Equity tool is here to guide you in making your programs, services, and activities better for all who access them. Click on each section of the image below for a selection of resources to help you understand and serve that population better, as well as find local agencies focused on doing the same.
Seeking partnerships but aren’t sure where to start? Visit The HealthLine or 211 to learn more about programs and services available in Bruce County, Grey County, and across the province.
Image adapted with permission from the Regional Municipality of Waterloo (Public Health and Emergency Services) and the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.
What is Health Equity?
“Health equity allows people to reach their full health potential and receive high-quality care that is fair and appropriate to them and their needs, no matter where they live, what they have or who they are”. (Health Quality Ontario)
Equity doesn’t mean Equality
The Ontario Public Health Standards explain that “Health is influenced by a broad range of factors – genetics, individual lifestyle behaviours, and the physical, social, and economic environments in which we live. These factors contribute to health experienced by individuals and to the overall level of health in a community or population. Factors beyond an individual’s biology and behaviours – those that form the conditions in which people are born, grow up, live, and work – are known as the social determinants of health. Any differences or variations in health status between groups are known as health inequalities. But when health inequalities have the potential to be changed or decreased by social action, they are called health inequities”.
Health inequities are differences in health that are systemic, avoidable, unfair and unjust:
- Systemic, meaning that they follow a pattern, typically where health improves as socioeconomic status improves
- Avoidable, in that they are social produced and could be mitigated by ensuring all people have the social and economic conditions needed for good health
- Unfair and unjust in that opportunities for health and well-being are being limited.
Toward Health Equity
Health is influenced by much more than just the healthcare system. This means that stakeholders across many sectors play a role in creating the conditions that lead to (and don’t lead to) health. The way that communities are built and the resources available within those communities are two important indicators of health. Strong health for all requires supportive environments.
A Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach recognizes that all sectors, and especially those outside of direct health services, influence health behaviours and health outcomes. Health is influenced by the way that communities are planned and built, as well as by the services and resources available within them. Health equity requires that all community members – including low income residents, children, seniors, newcomers, Indigenous people, and people with physical and mental health issues – have access to those features of the built environment that support health and wellness.
Health Equity Impact Assessment (HEIA)
Policy Development
A Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach recognizes that all sectors, and especially those outside of direct health services, influence health behaviours and health outcomes. Health is influenced by the way that communities are planned and built, as well as by the services and resources available within them. Health equity requires that all community members – including low income residents, children, seniors, newcomers, Indigenous people, and people with physical and mental health issues – have access to those features of the built environment that support health and wellness.
Considering The 5 Key Questions
When designing policies and programs, or making changes to those that already exist, consider these 5 key questions to ensure that you are using a health equity perspective.
If you are making changes for a group or organization, consider the system perspective.
If you are making changes in work you do directly with clients, patients, or other individuals, consider the individual perspective. These are questions that can be asked of the stakeholders that will personally experience the proposed change.
System Perspective
a) Are all who may be impacted engaged in the planning process?
b) What are the roles of each stakeholder?
c) Have we used a broad lens to ensure perspectives cross sectors/silos?
d) Have we engaged patients, clients, or others who will experience the impact?
Individual Perspective
a) Were you included in the discussion?
b) Is everyone included that you want (e.g., personally, professionally)
System Perspective
a) What do the organization and community consider the critical factors for success?
b) Have we completed the Health Equity Impact Assessment to identify possible negative impacts and plan for mitigation?
Individual Perspective
a) Have you asked the stories of people with lived experience? Do you understand what is important to those you serve?
b) What is the goal that you want to achieve? What is most important to individuals you serve?
c) What steps are important to getting to that goal?
d) What is important to providers? Is it the same as what the individual(s) wants to achieve?
e) What screening tools can be used to better understand someone’s current situation?
System Perspective
a) What is the immediate impact to core agencies and system users?
b) What are the ripple effects to other agencies and the community?
c) Have we clearly identified the positive and negative impacts? Do we have a plan to mitigate negative impacts?
Individual Perspective
a) How will this affect you?
b) How will this impact those immediately around you?
c) What are the positive impacts that we can leverage to help you drive the change?
d) What are the negative impacts and how can we reduce them?
System Perspective
a) Are all the players willing to move this ahead?
b) What are the barriers?
c) Are there funding or other systems (political, social) that need to be overcome to make this achievable?
Individual Perspective
a) Is it a realistic goal or set of goals?
b) Do you have what you need to achieve it?
c) What things or people do you need to support you to achieve it?
d) How confident are you that you can achieve your goal?
System Perspective
a) What other key players do we have to engage before we can move ahead (political, funders, etc.)?
b) Are there data or supportive information that we need before moving ahead?
C) What does implementation look like?
Individual Perspective
a) What actions do you need to take to move toward your change goal(s)?
b) What do you need to help you move ahead with your change goal(s)?
c) Do you feel ready to work toward your change goal(s)?
Additional Health Equity Resources
Examples
CMHA Grey Bruce Integration
HEIA CMHA Detailed Final
HEIA CMHA Summary Final
CMHA HEIA Monitoring Activities
Tools & Training Opportunities
Would you like a hard copy of the Health Equity Tool?
Are you interested in health equity tool training for your organization?
Send us an e-mail and a member of the Moving Health Equity Forward Team will be in touch.
Development of the Health Equity Tool
Check back for a training video in June 2018
The Health Equity Tool was developed with support from Health Link Grey Bruce through a collaborative of the Bruce Grey Poverty Task Force.
