Gary Bloch, MD, BA (Hons)
University of Toronto
Poverty and Health, Health of the Homeless
416-864-3011 (clinic) | [email protected] | @Gary_Bloch
Gary Bloch is a family physician with St. Michael’s Hospital, and an Assistant Professor with the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. He holds a BA (Honours) in History from McGill, a MD from UBC, and he completed his postgraduate training in Family Medicine at the University of Toronto. He has a large clinical practice, and focuses on the health of people who live in poverty and without adequate housing.
Dr. Bloch is an advocate, educator and researcher on issues related to poverty and health, and on health provider-based interventions into poverty as a health issue. He regularly teaches health professionals and trainees, as well as community members about these issues. His education program development work has included the design and implementation of a core curriculum on addressing poverty in the University of Toronto medical school training program.
He has been involved in raising public awareness on issues ranging from social assistance reform to housing supports to health benefits for refugees. He has been interviewed extensively in print, radio, online and television media.
Dr. Bloch founded and chairs the Ontario College of Family Physicians’ Committee on Poverty and Health. He is also a founding member of the advocacy group Health Providers Against Poverty. He was instrumental in the establishment of Inner City Health Associates, a group of over 60 physicians working with the homeless in Toronto.
Download a hi-res photo of Gary Bloch
Commentaries by Dr. Gary Bloch:
A society with no poverty would be healthier, happier and easier to live in — and would save us all money in the end
Why it’s never too late for low income Canadians to file their taxes / / Il n’est jamais trop tard pour produire sa déclaration de revenus
How doctors can tackle the poverty of their patients without leaving the doctor’s office
How an inadequate minimum wage is linked to poorer health outcomes — for everyone //
Un salaire minimum insuffisant conduit à de piètres résultats en matière de santé : un constat universel
Why a doctor prescribes tax returns // Un médecin prescrit des déclarations de revenus
Social assistance reform can lead to better health for all // La réforme de l’aide sociale peut améliorer la santé de tous
Podcasts
Posters by Dr. Gary Bloch:
“Analysts have demonstrated that programs to alleviate poverty can pay for themselves through increased tax revenues, reduced health costs, lower crime, and increased productivity.”
Read the commentary: How an inadequate minimum wage is linked to poorer health outcomes — for everyone
“People who live at low incomes live shorter lives, with more disability. Their work is more precarious, and they tend to have worse working conditions, that place them at higher risk of illness and injury.”
Read the commentary: How an inadequate minimum wage is linked to poorer health outcomes — for everyone
“The health evidence is clear: Canadians living at a low income are at extremely high risk of developing health problems, such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and mental illness, all due to their inadequate income. As a doctor, I cannot prescribe drugs to alleviate that risk.”
Read the commentary: How an inadequate minimum wage is linked to poorer health outcomes — for everyone
“Almost every major health condition, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and mental illness, occurs more often and has worse outcomes among people who live at lower incomes.”
Read the commentary: Why a doctor prescribes tax returns
“Income is a powerful determinant of health – more so than many medications I prescribe.”
Read the commentary: Why a doctor prescribes tax returns
“Almost every major health condition, including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and mental illness, occurs more often and has worse outcomes among people who live at lower incomes.”
Read the commentary: Why a doctor prescribes tax returns
This free ebook is a compilation of the EvidenceNetwork.ca commentaries published in major newspapers in 2015, written by experts in the health policy field.
