KPI

Striving for social justice through action on health equity

As a community, we are committed to social justice. Our work will drive progress on the social and environmental determinants of health.

Objectives

  1. Improve health outcomes for all
  2. Develop Anti-racism, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (EDIA) initiatives to create sense of belonging for all
  3. Commitment to improvement in Black health, innovation and recognition of Black excellence

Principles

  • Lead anti-racism and anti-oppression
  • Innovate and implement EDIA strategies
  • Improve rural access to care
  • Understand the effect of climate change on health

Strategies

1

Consolidate health equity strategies through Health Equity Hub in O’Brien Institute for Public Health

• Translate research in health equity, social and environmental determinants of health to change social and health policy
• Study how to embed anti-racism, anti-oppression and EDIA in outward-facing CSM initiatives
• Sustain and expand health and UCalgary relationships and respond to community priorities
• Build capacity to recruit, support and retain learners and faculty working in social and environmental determinants of health
• Develop relationships with decision and policy makers and politicians to implement evidence-based changes
• Implement and evaluate a learning health system approach to improve the quality and safety of health care for new immigrants

2

Develop an EDIA action plan accountable to a Strategic EDIA Council

• Identify and support leads in Indigenous health, Black health, immigrant and refugee health, disability and health, 2SLGBTQIA+ health, women’s health and other equity deserving groups
• Create and support an EDIA research and scholarship team
• Establish grants and awards for researchers working in EDIA
• Provide support for EDIA curricular review and development across all CSM learning programs
• Initiate a reconciliation process that centers people and community

3

Implement commitments of the Scarborough Charter

• Develop and evaluate a program that addresses racism and discrimination in Canada’s health systems, using a participatory approach that involves racialized and marginalized communities, health system partners, and other partners
• Compare the health status, health behaviours, health service use, costs and outcomes of racialized and non-racialized populations in Alberta. Use this data together with community priorities to devise interventions that address aspects of the quintuple aim.
• Address black health inequities through black population-based research

4

Create and enhance programs to address stress, mental health, opioids and addiction

• Further implement and evaluate the impact of Integrated PATH (iPATH)
• Implement and evaluate quality and safety improvements for opioid prescribing in primary care in Alberta, using data from Alberta Health Services, clinical decision support tools, and feedback mechanisms
• Identify the barriers and opportunities to enhance naloxone distribution in primary care

5

Expand research and education into the impact of climate change on health

• Climate preparedness and adaptation in clinical delivery and training
• Environmentally sustainable health care and education
• Align with the World Health Organization Sustainable Development Goals (2015) and UCalgary Office of Sustainability