Evidence Network

Social Policy

How health providers in Canada are working together to treat poverty and improve health

Does more healthcare create better outcomes? In other words, do more medications, tests and interventions necessarily result in healthier patients?
It turns out more care is, all too often, unnecessary care.

Inner city children’s vision is being left behind

We can remember many of them, leaning forward, almost off their tiny kindergarten-sized chairs, squinting with one eye to try and make out a rather large ‘H’ or ‘O’ on a chart across the room. We saw them try to cheat by uncovering their other eye or slyly turning their head to one side.

Why do Canada’s children lag so far behind?

A version of this podcast appeared in the Huffington Post In a recent UNICEF report, Canada ranked in the bottom half of the world’s richest countries in overall child well-being and child equality. Experts say that a lack of access to healthcare and inadequate support for parents are reasons why Canada lags behind. Dr. Denis Daneman from the […]

Stemming the tide of death after release from jails and prisons in Canada

The tragic stories of Ashley Smith, Edward Snowshoe and other inmates who have died while in Canadian correctional facilities have rightly made headlines around the country.

A sugar-sweetened beverage tax is not the answer

There has been increasing interest in the use of a sugar-sweetened beverage tax to curb the burden of obesity in Canada — call it a ‘pop tax’ if you like.  A recent Senate report on obesity in Canada recommends assessing the possibility of a sugar-sweetened beverage tax and points to the high rates of taxation […]

Breaking the boundaries of complex care for children

A version of this podcast appeared in Progressive Bloggers, BLOOM, WIMS and CMAJ Blog The Complex Care Initiative at Sick Kids began in 2006, by the late pediatrician Dr. Norman Saunders. For ten years it has opened its doors to children with multiple and complex health challenges, often to those who could not find adequate […]

Safe, secure and affordable housing is a health issue

When you’re feeling unwell, whether from a minor cold or a devastating terminal illness, the feeling of home, the desire for a safe and comfortable place to rest and recuperate, is a universal one. But what if your home itself is a source of stress and illness?

Canada needs to provide an urgent investment in indigenous health

The health of Canada’s indigenous people lags substantially behind other Canadians – and the tragic reality is well documented. Sadly, the data regarding poor health status for indigenous populations shows us this is true across all major illnesses and across all age groups.

Ending homelessness through housing first initiatives

Up to 15 percent of the homeless population in Canada is struggling with mental illness. Could giving them a permanent home be a way off the streets and into a healthier life? Dr. Jino Distasio, Director of the Institute of Urban Studies at the University of Winnipeg and Vicky Stergiopoulos, Psychiatrist-in-chief at St. Michael’s Hospital […]

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