small steps, big difference

Keep First Nation pandemic plans current: feds

2010-07-19T13:47:00.001-04:00

CBC News, 19 July, 2010

First Nations leaders are welcoming the federal government's move to ensure pandemic flu plans are up to date, but they also want Ottawa to broaden its interest in health-care planning.

This summer, the federal government is hiring people to make sure influenza pandemic plans in First Nations communities stay current.

Last year's H1N1 outbreak hit some aboriginal communities particularly hard. A large number of body bags were sent to a reserve in northern Manitoba, and there were debates over who should pay for hand sanitizer and masks.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/07/19/first-nation-pandemic-plan.html#ixzz0u9QzHaym

Solution for smoking could be in the genes

2010-07-19T13:46:00.002-04:00

Health Zone, 19 July, 2010

It started with a pack of Players stolen from her dad, who bought cigarettes by the carton to save money. Sasha Manoli knew where he kept them — in a kitchen cupboard. She snatched a pack on the day she decided to smoke. She was 14.

After meeting her friend, the teenagers went to Laurentide Park, which lies besides the Don Valley Pkwy. near York Mills Rd. It was winter. They went over to a pine tree and lay down under it in the snow. Manoli lit one cigarette and “half-smoked,” barely inhaling.

“I really remember the smell and the taste, but I can't describe it,” she said. “But there was something very distinct.”

Read More: http://www.healthzone.ca/health/newsfeatures/article/836903--solution-for-smoking-could-be-in-the-genes

Avastin fails to slow breast cancer: FDA

2010-07-19T09:27:00.001-04:00

CBC News, 16 July, 2010

Federal health scientists said Friday that followup studies of a Roche breast cancer drug show it failed to slow tumour growth or extend patient lives, opening the door for a potential withdrawal in that indication.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Roche's blockbuster Avastin in 2008 based on early-stage trials showing it shrank tumours caused by breast cancer. The decision was controversial because drugs for cancer patients who have never been treated before must usually show evidence they extend lives.

Avastin's so-called "accelerated approval" was based on the condition that later studies would show a survival benefit.

But in briefing documents posted online, FDA reviewers said two followup studies recently submitted by Roche failed to show that Avastin significantly extended lives compared to chemotherapy alone.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/07/16/avastin-breast-cancer-trials.html#ixzz0u9QRrpe6

Your address could make you fat

2010-07-15T09:51:00.001-04:00

Health Zone, 15 July, 2010

You want to lose weight? Live near a supermarket — but far away from restaurants.

In a recent study, researchers at the State University of New York at Buffalo looked at women’s body mass index in relation to their neighbourhoods’ food amenities.

They found that women who lived near a supermarket tended to have a lower body mass index, meaning they were less likely to be obese, than those closer to a convenience store. Most convenience stores don’t offer healthy foods such as fresh fruit and vegetables or whole-grain products.

Read more: http://www.healthzone.ca/health/dietfitness/diet/article/835186--your-address-could-make-you-fat

Toronto landfill threatening health of SW Ont. First Nation, chief says

2010-07-15T09:35:00.001-04:00

CBC news, 14 July, 2010

MUNSEE-DELAWARE NATION, Ont. - A southwestern Ontario First Nation says a landfill used by the City of Toronto is threatening the community's water supply.

Toronto purchased the Green Lane landfill near St. Thomas, Ont., in April 2007.

Chief Patrick Waddilove says the accelerated use of the landfill is negatively impacting the health of Munsee-Delaware Nation residents, who use untreated well water.

There are three First Nations located in the area _ Oneida Nation of the Thames, Chippewas of the Thames and Munsee-Delaware Nation.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/cp/health/TC2052.html

MS patients fight for access to new 'Zamboni' treatment

2010-07-12T09:44:00.001-04:00

Health Zone, 9 July, 2010

A month after Italian vascular surgeon Dr. Paolo Zamboni’s controversial report on treating multiple sclerosis made headlines in November 2009, an elated Jamie Chalmers went to his neurologist and handed him a stack of print-outs on the new findings.

Without so much as a glance, the neurologist tossed the papers in the garbage. He told Chalmers it was nothing but junk science.

“I was devastated,” said Chalmers, a 40-year-old Guelph motor coach driver diagnosed with MS two years ago. He is now looking for a new neurologist. “How can a doctor not be interested in what his patient wants?”

The same scenario, pitting hope against science, is being played out in neurologists’ offices across the country as people diagnosed with the debilitating disease demand the so-called “liberation treatment” and wary neurologists tell them to forget about it.

Read more: http://www.healthzone.ca/health/newsfeatures/article/834303--ms-patients-fight-for-access-to-new-zamboni-treatment

Mental Health Care for Kids 'Fractured'

2010-07-09T16:29:00.002-04:00

Health Zone, 9 July, 2010

The mental health care system for children is “fractured” and needs better oversight, say critics after a Toronto Star investigation found a psychiatric centre was locking up kids who didn’t belong there.

“The role of oversight is not taken as seriously as I think it should be,” Irwin Elman, Ontario’s Children and Youth Advocate, told the Star.

Elman’s comments came after the Star revealed that the provincially funded Youthdale Treatment Centre admitted children to its secure treatment unit even though they did not have a mental disorder. Within the last two years, the Child and Family Services Review Board ordered released nearly half of the children who appealed their placements in the centre’s secure unit.

Read more: http://www.healthzone.ca/health/mindmood/mentalhealth/article/833979--mental-health-care-for-kids-fractured

Depression may raise risk of dementia, study shows

2010-07-09T15:33:00.002-04:00

Health Zone, 5 July, 2010

People who struggle with prolonged bouts of depression may face nearly twice the risk of developing dementia, according to a study by researchers at the University of Massachusetts, the most long-term study of its kind.

“We need to pay more attention to depression and understand that it can have serious, long-term effects,” says Jane Saczynski, author of the research to be published Tuesday in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Read more at: http://www.healthzone.ca/health/mindmood/article/832273--depression-may-raise-risk-of-dementia-study-shows

Activity no fix for fat kids: study

2010-07-09T15:26:00.001-04:00

CBC news, 7 July, 2010

Physical activity is not the solution to childhood obesity, a British study suggests.

The study of 202 children over three years concluded that excess weight reduces activity, but activity does not affect weight.

"Physical inactivity appears to be the result of fatness rather than its cause. This reverse causality may explain why attempts to tackle childhood obesity by promoting physical activity have been largely unsuccessful," an abstract of the study said.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/07/07/fatness-inactivity-earlybird.html#ixzz0tDNZOAhL

Aboriginal babies more likely to die: study

2010-06-18T11:26:00.000-04:00

Access to urban health care doesn't lower mortality rates

Last Updated: Thursday, June 17, 2010

The Canadian Press

An extensive study of infant mortality in Manitoba has shown that the death rate for aboriginal babies is more than twice the Canadian average and doesn't improve no matter how close their mothers live to sophisticated health-care facilities.

Although infant mortality among non-aboriginals declined with proximity to cities, the rate remained stubbornly high for First Nations women, says a new report published in the Journal of Rural Health.

"First Nations infants do not seem to have similarly benefited from the better health-care facilities in urban centres," the report says.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/06/17/man-infant-mortality-cp-manitoba.html#ixzz0rDbm9mHh

Vancouver: Canada's hate-crime capital, says Stats Can

2010-06-17T06:54:00.001-04:00

Complaints have almost doubled between 2007 and 2008

Vancouver now carries the dubious title of hate-crime and gay-bashing capital of Canada.

According to figures released by Statistics Canada on Monday, police-reported hate crimes in Vancouver almost doubled from 79 in 2007 to 143 in 2008 — including 34 hate attacks motivated by the victim's sexual orientation, by far the highest ratio of gay-bashing crimes among major Canadian cities.

Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/news/Canada+hate+crime+capital/3155257/story.html

Aboriginals to tell commission residential school truths

2010-06-16T15:28:00.000-04:00

The Canadian Press

WINNIPEG—The head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on residential schools says the stories of survivors will no longer be relegated to the sidelines of Canadian history.

Manitoba Justice Murray Sinclair says the commission will allow aboriginals to talk about what happened to them at the schools and their stories will finally get the attention they deserve.

Sinclair was speaking Wednesday at the opening of the commission's first public hearing in Winnipeg.

He said no one will be forced to speak of abuse suffered at the schools, but if survivors choose to come forward they will have the commission's full attention.

“To all those who wish to share their experience with us, I promise you this: if you have something to tell, we will hear you. You will not be questioned. You will not be asked to prove anything. You do not have to share anything that you do not wish to share.

“You will be provided with supports to assist you. You will be treated with respect. You will be treated with dignity.”

To read more, please visit:http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/824277--aboriginals-to-tell-commission-residential-school-truths?bn=1

Public Forum: The Politics of Poverty and Public Health

2010-06-04T14:26:00.002-04:00

The World Health Organization says health inequalities result from
“a toxic combination of poor social policies and programmes, unfair
economic arrangements, and bad politics.”

Canadians might well ask: “Why is it so hard to reduce poverty and close
the health equity gap in such a rich country?”

A panel of eminent political and public health leaders, as part of the
Canadian Public Health Association Centennial Conference, will reflect on
this challenge and debate the politics of the way forward.

Everyone welcome!

Monday, June 14, 2010
Sheraton Centre Toronto
Grand Ballroom, Lower Concourse
123 Queen Street West
7:00pm – 9:00pm

Speakers:

Carolyn Bennett, MP, St. Paul’s, Toronto

Andrea Horwath, MPP, Hamilton Centre

David McKeown, Medical Officer of Health, Toronto

Jessica Yee, Executive Director, Native Youth Sexual Health Network
Moderator

Paulette Senior, CEO, YWCA Canada

Health Equity Survey

2010-06-02T12:56:00.001-04:00

This Echo funded survey is part of a project called Making Gender-Based and Equity-Assisting Frameworks Accessible: Knowledge Translation Strategies for Ontario's Healthcare Professionals. It is anonymous. It will help the Project Team understand how Ontario’s health-care professionals use an equity lens in their work. It’s one way for you to influence development of knowledge translation strategies and tools to support health-care providers, planners, and policy-makers as well as expand equity as a key criterion when developing, implementing, and evaluating health programs and services. Please fill out the survey by June 30, 2010!

Access survey at:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=vQGpZ26FnfsaKoOA8qO%2fDXb8p2VSmNRVCgCasIqou4Y%3d&

Survey: Women's Health in Ontario

2010-06-02T12:54:00.000-04:00

Please encourage women you know to take a moment to fill out a 20 minute electronic survey about the health issues that are of most interest to them, especially in relation to personal experiences with health, services, information and treatment. The information gathered will help to increase our understanding and provide an overview of the health issues for women in Ontario. The survey is anonymous and seeks to hear from women across Ontario. We are encouraging women from a wide range of experiences and backgrounds to participate in the survey. We strongly encourage women who are often under-represented in women's health research, including but not limited to: Aboriginal women, immigrant and refugee women, rural women, lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans women and women with disabilities to fill out the survey and ensure the issues are represented.

This survey is part of a project called Health Research and Knowledge Translation: Including the Voices of Ontario Women. This project is being carried out by a partnership that includes the Ontario Women's Health Network, and is under the guidance of an Advisory Committee. The project is funded by Echo: Improving Women's Health in Ontario, an agency of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

Please pass on the survey link to women you work with, friends, family members and other women in the community. Fill out your survey today!!

The survey is available online until June 27 at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/womenhealth

Health Impact Project: Advancing Smarter Policies for Healthier Communities

2010-06-02T11:49:00.002-04:00

The Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts, is a national initiative designed to promote the use of health impact assessments (HIAs) as a decision-making tool for policymakers. HIAs use a flexible, data-driven approach that identifies the health consequences of new policies and develops practical strategies to enhance their health benefits and minimize adverse effects.

The Health Impact Project will promote the use of HIAs by:

• Creating a national center of excellence housed at Pew and providing the coordination and infrastructure needed to establish HIAs as a well-recognized field in the United States;

• Demonstrating the effectiveness of HIAs by funding a series of HIA demonstration projects in various sectors and throughout various regions of the country;

• Building a training and technical assistance network that will support a new group of HIA practitioners and engage and strengthen current HIA practice centers;

• Completing two major federal-level HIAs to address policies of great importance to health in the United States and validate the effectiveness and importance of this tool; and

• Researching and broadly disseminating a review of existing laws, regulations and policies that might support the use of HIAs and help practitioners find new opportunities to implement them.

For more information, please visit: http://www.healthimpactproject.org/

Low-income Canadians have more heart attacks

2010-05-28T13:13:00.002-04:00

Canadians who live in low-income neighbourhoods are more likely to have a heart attack than their wealthier counterparts, a new report indicates.

But their quality of care in hospital seems to be about the same, finds a new report released by the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

Almost 67,000 Canadians landed in hospital due to a heart attack in 2008-2009.

For more infomation, please visit: http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Health/20100528/heart-attacks-100528/

National Wear it Pink Day- May 27th!

2010-05-27T09:54:00.002-04:00

May 27, 2010 is National Wear It Pink Day, a celebration of our commitment in the battle to end women’s cancers! Embrace your inner pink-ness and declare it a day for our mothers, daughters, sisters and friends everywhere! Wear PINK and show your support!

For more information, please visit: http://to10.endcancer.ca/site/PageServer?pagename=10_wear_it_pink_day

New South Asian Health Equity Report

2010-05-19T12:43:00.001-04:00

“A Diagnosis for Equity: An initial analysis of South Asian health inequities in Ontario” is a new report on South Asians and Health Inequities.

Over the past two years, the Council of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA) has worked closely with community providers and other stakeholders to build a strategy to promote health equity for South Asian Communities in Ontario. This work included consultations with close to 150 participants from over 60 organizations and key expert interviews.

A Diagnosis for Equity combines the findings from these consultations with a scan of existing research to show that South Asian communities in Ontario experience health disparities that are symptoms of social inequity. This exploratory report indicates that these disparities must be addressed through coordinated community-based action that challenges the social determinants of health, like racialization and poverty, and puts forth recommendations for action.

For more info feel free to contact Keerthy: Keerthy@cassa.on.ca or 416-932-1359 x 12, or visit http://www.cassaonline.com/index3/

The Regional Diversity Roundtable is hiring! Deadline May 24th

2010-05-19T12:32:00.002-04:00

The Regional Diversity Roundtable is a network of organizations and institutions committed to
building inclusion and diversity competence that results in the institutionalization of equity in their core values, structures, workforce, policies and services. They are currently hiring a Program Assistant. Deadline is May 24th and the competition is open to youth aged 15-25.

For more information, please contact:
Sume Ndumbe-Eyoh
Coordinator, Regional Diversity Roundtable
sume@regionaldiversityroundtable.org
P. 905 457 7288 ext 236 F. 905 454 0767
www.regionaldiversityroundtable.org

Blog Author Change

2010-05-19T12:20:00.002-04:00

Please note that Sheela Subramanian is no longer the author of this blog.... please contact Alina Chatterjee at healthequity@scaddingcourt.org for more information.

Did you know that Monday May 17th was the International Day Against Homophobia?

2010-05-19T12:14:00.002-04:00

The International Day Against Homophobia, held on May 17 every year, is a rallying event offering an opportunity for people to get together and reach out to one another. Fondation Émergence promotes, mainly on a pan-Canadian level, the International Day Against Homophobia and encourages organisations and individuals to highlight this event in their environment.

For more information, please visit: http://www.homophobiaday.org/

The City is a Sweatshop (Toronto) - March 19-20

2010-03-08T10:08:00.000-05:00

http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/thecityisasweatshop

Featuring:

Adil Charkaoui - Migrant Justice Advocate
Lee Maracle - Poet and Author
Clayton Thomas-Mueller - Defenders of the Land
Uzma Shakir - Atkinson Economic Justice Fellow
Sakura Saunders - Media Activist

and many others...

Hidden behind skyscraper towers and corporate greed is a city built on the foundations of stolen land, exploitation of immigrant labor and denial of basic services to those living without full status or in poverty – Toronto. A sweatshop city.

Massive changes to the immigration and refugee system, coupled with renewed Immigration raids have created an even more precarious situation in Toronto, home to thousands of people living without full status.

Non status people are being systematically shut out of schools, food banks and hospitals, and harassed at women’s shelters by Police and Immigration Enforcement while rebuilding their lives. Migrants are exploited at work, and threatened with deportation when attempting to unionize. Immigration enforcement is attacking people in their homes, at work and on the streets.

But we are taking back our city. One shelter at a time, one food bank at a time, one health care centre at a time. Breaking the walls, fences and borders in Toronto, we are creating a Sanctuary City that ensures justice and dignity for all.

Join us this year in our second annual City Is A Sweatshop series of events

Emergency Community Meeting (Toronto) - Stop the Raids on Women's Shelters - TODAY

2010-03-08T09:06:00.002-05:00

Please forward widely*
Emergency Community Meeting - March 8 (International Women's Day)
17 Phoebe Street, Toronto Rape Crisis Centre 10:00am Sharp
The Shelter Sanctuary Status Campaign invites shelter workers, residents, managers, counselors and anti-violence against women advocates and activists to attend an urgent community meeting on March 8th.

It has come to our attention, that the Canada Border Services Agency invaded a shelter for women - on February 27, looking to track down Jane, a single mom and survivor of violence from Ghana.

"It's so scary," Jane says, who wishes to keep her real name anonymous butis willing to speak to the media. "I thought the shelter was supposed to be a safe space for me and my baby. I'm scared not just for myself, but for non-status women in shelters everywhere who are facing the same fear," she continued.

"We have heard of the CBSA waiting outside of shelters, looking to apprehend women without status, but I have never heard of officers actually walking into a shelter to look for women," says Eileen Morrow, Coordinator of the Ontario Association for Interval and Transition Homes, the largest shelter association in Canada. "This is an unprecedented attack on women in our communities and we demand it end immediately!"

"The women in our shelters are survivors of violence. They are healing from trauma. The last thing we need is the bullies from CBSA barging in her to re-traumatize them," says Bernadette Dondo, a counsellor at Nellies.

"The women's movement fought long and hardfor access to shelter and safety. This is a fundamental right for all women, regardless of immigration status. The CBSA violated this right and the women's movement is going to hold them accountable," asserts Fariah Chowdhury, an organizer with the Shelter Sanctuary Status Campaign.

Shelter workers, residents and anti-violence against women advocates will be joined by women from Toronto Rape Crisis Centre, Sistering, METRAC -Metropolitan Action Committee Against Violence Against Women and Children and many other women's organizations demand that Canada Borders Service Agency immediately stop visiting or waiting outside shelters or organizations that provide services to women; that women fleeing domestic abuse and violence be given status immediately and a full and inclusive regularization program be implemented.

For more info phone: 647.836.8781 or email shelter.sanctuary.status@gmail.com

Organized by the ShelterSanctuaryStatus Coalition, a growing movement of over 120 anti-Violence Against Women organizations that are working to create safe spaces for all women, regardless of immigration status -http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/sss

Where diabetes hits the hardest - health, race and poverty - Toronto Star interactive feature

2010-03-04T11:46:00.003-05:00

A new Toronto Star feature explores links between diabetes in Toronto, poverty and racialization. This interactive map of the city is based on the ICES Diabetes Altas. Roll over to see how different neighbourhoods and communities are affected:

http://www.thestar.com/staticcontent/772097

Check out the Star's feature on diabetes here:

http://www.healthzone.ca/health/yourhealth/diabetes

CBC news (Feb 26/2010) - N.B. waives waiting period for health coverage for newcomers

2010-03-01T10:01:00.002-05:00

From CBC news online:

The New Brunswick government is eliminating the three-month waiting period for medicare coverage for newcomers to the province.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2010/02/26/nb-health-coverage-immigrants-military-1133.html#ixzz0gwBG3y7v

ROUNDTABLE (Toronto) - South Asians and Health Care Governance - THIS FRIDAY

2010-02-23T10:02:00.002-05:00

The Council of Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA) is hosting a round table discussion on:

South Asians and Health Care Governance: Challenges, barriers and opportunities

Date: Friday, February 26th, 2010
Time: 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM
Location: Scadding Court Community Centre,
Room 4, 707 Dundas St. W., Toronto

Refreshments will be served. The outcomes of the roundtable will inform the next steps for CASSA

Space is Limited. Please RSVP Farhat Hasan at farhat[at]cassa.on.ca by Feb. 24th

CASSA is a social justice umbrella organization working with Ontario’s diverse South Asian communities. Our mission is to facilitate the economic, social, political and cultural empowerment of South Asians by serving as a resource for information, research, mobilization, coordination and leadership on social justice issues affecting our communities.

COUNCIL OF AGENCIES SERVING SOUTH ASIANS (CASSA)
2401 Eglinton Ave. E., Suite 212, Toronto, ON, M1K 2N8 Phone: (416) 932 1359 Fax: (416) 932- 9305
Email: cassa[at]cassa.on.ca Website: http://www.cassa.on.ca/

EVENT (Toronto) - Health for All: Fixing a Broken Healthcare System for Immigrants and Refugees (March 4/2010)

2010-02-17T12:16:00.002-05:00

*please forward widely*

Health for All: Fixing a Broken Healthcare System for Immigrants and Refugees

March 4th, 2010

6:30 PM

Location: Bahen Centre, Room 1180

Address: 40 St. George Street

SPEAKERS:

Dr. Meb Rashid, Family Physician

Jackie Esmonde, Immigration Lawyer

Manavi Handa, Registered Midwife, WestEnd Midwifery Collective

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

The cost of healthcare has been established as a barrier for under and uninsured migrant communities in accessing healthcare for decades. Despite the talk, few affordable healthcare options have been made available to these communities.

In recent years, the midwifery model of care in Ontario has proved to be a cost effective, accessible option for uninsured populations in Ontario to access maternity care. Payment structures that resulted from collaboration between the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care and professional midwives have served as an innovative way for persons without status living in Ontario to access maternity care.

Community Health Centres are another point of access to primary healthcare for underinsured populations in Ontario. Interdisciplinary staffing and coordination of care, with alternative payment structure arrangements from the Ministry of Health, seek to ensure that uninsured populations have access to primary care.

This evening will look at the opportunities and barriers to ensuring health for all! The panelists will discuss the successes of these two models of care, and the victories won by various professionals and communities in providing healthcare for the uninsured. As the momentum and pressure to recognize the fundamental human rights of those residing in our cities and communities grows, so must our organizing efforts within the health sector and beyond.

Join "Health for All" for an evening where we re-envision what a just healthcare system looks like and show how we are working to make it a reality!

__________________________________________________________________________________

For more information, please email healthforalltoronto@gmail.com

‘Health For All’ is a group of healthcare professionals, students, and activists. We believe health is a fundamental human right. Health requires not only access to medical, mental health and dental care, but also full economic, social, environmental and political rights for all people. We call for universal health coverage and full regularization for all people to ensure health for all!

Endorsers:

Canadian Doctors for Medicare, University of Toronto

Health Providers Against Poverty

Law Union of Ontario

Medical Reform Group

Public Health Interest Group, University of Toronto

No One Is Illegal - Toronto

Ontario Public Interest Research Group, University of Toronto

Right to Health Coalition

Residents Without Borders, University of Toronto

Right to Health Coalition

Health Is Political

CONFERENCE (Toronto) - Healthcare for the undocumented and uninsured (Feb 12/2010)

2010-02-03T17:07:00.004-05:00

Where: 155 College Street, Suite 610,Toronto
When: Feb. 12, 2010 at 9:00 am UTC to 4:00 pm UTC

Presented by:

Women’s College Hospital’s Network on Uninsured Clients
Wellesley Institute
Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto
York Institute for Health Research (YIHR), York University

Register by Monday February 1, 2010
This event is free but space is limited.
Refreshment breaks and lunch will be provided.

Download the registration form in Microsoft Word
Send a completed form to linda.gardner[at]wchospital.ca

Conference Goals
This one-day research conference in Toronto aims to gather local academic and community researchers with interest in health services for uninsured and undocumented clients.

The goals of the conference include:
To document and share research on the health and health care for undocumented and uninsured clients;
To bring researchers together to coordinate and collaborate on their research efforts; and
To produce and disseminate a summary report and policy recommendations based on the research findings and discussions that emerge at this conference.
Review the preliminary agenda for details on this conference.

EVENT (Toronto) - Pathways to mental health care for ethnic groups in Toronto - Dr. Kwame McKenzie - February 19, 2010

2010-02-03T10:36:00.001-05:00

MOUNT SINAI HOSPITAL
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY
GRAND ROUNDS

Pathways to mental health care for ethnic groups in Toronto
Presenter: Dr. Kwame McKenzie

Senior Scientist Social Equity & Health Research section, Deputy Director of Continuing & Community Care, Schizophrenia Program,
Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto,
Professor, Institute of Philosophy Diversity and Mental Health, University of Lancashire

One of Dr. McKenzie’s key interests is health equity, in particular improving the health outcomes for racialized people. Dr. McKenzie is committed to using scientific investigation to help build inclusive, humane and effective models of mental health care for everyone. He is a member of the Tri-Hospital Patient Data Collection project, which MSH coordinates.

Date: Friday, February 19, 2010
Time: 10:30 a.m. – 12 noon
(Grand Rounds will start promptly at 10:40 a.m.)

Location: 18th floor auditorium, Mount Sinai Hospital

Learning Objectives:
Understand the differences in pathways to care for different ethnic groups
Understand the reasons for the differences in pathways to care for different ethnic groups

Community Planning Forum on Immigrant/Refugee/Non-Status and Racialized PHAs (Toronto) - January 27

2010-01-21T09:51:00.002-05:00

From the Health Equity Council listserv:

Dear Friends,

On behalf of Committee for Accessible AIDS Treatment (CAAT), I am writing to invite/remind you to join us for a very important full day community planning forum on immigrant/refugee/non-status and racialized PHAs we are organizing for next Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 at the Ramada Plaza Toronto on 300 Jarvis Street in downtown Toronto.

We are organizing this forum to get your input on the key issues, emerging needs and challenges facing immigrant, refugee, non-status and racialized PHAs and how CAAT can work more effectively with its partners to address these issues. This is a critically timely discussion to help prepare us to develop strategies to ensure that our communities' needs are equitably addressed through the new provincial and federal AIDS strategies currently in development.

Tentative Forum Agenda:

9:20 a.m. Registration and Breakfast

10:00-10:45 Introduction, history of CAAT, report card on key activities since last strategic planning session

10:45-11:30 Current statistics, issues and research evidence on immigrant/refugee/non-status PHAs, Report card

11:30-12:15 Identification of key emerging issues, challenges and unmet needs

12:15-1:00 Lunch

1:00-2:30 Planning exercises to identify current strategies and remaining gaps

2:30-3:20 Identification of priority issues for program development, research and policy work

3:20-4:00 Action Planning and next steps

4:00-4:15 Wrap-up/ Evaluation

Your participation and input is very important to us, so please join us for as much of the day as you can. It would be great if you can join us for the whole day but do try to come even if you can only attend part of the day.

Kindly RSVP to maureeno[at]regentparkchc.org or Tel: 416 364 2261

I look forward to working with you on January 27th, 2010.

Thanks

Alan Li

MA Program in Critical Disability Studies (York University) - Deadline: March 15, 2010

2010-01-19T10:46:00.001-05:00

The MA Program in Critical Disability Studies at York University, Toronto, Canada is accepting admission applications for September 2010 entry until March 15, 2010.

Detailed information about this pioneer MA program is available at: www.yorku.ca/gradcdis/ma/index.html

Great health equity video - Louisville Department of Health & Wellness

2010-01-14T09:57:00.002-05:00

This simple and clear video shares information about health inequities in the U.S. and the Centre for Health Equity at the Louisville Department of Health and Wellness:

and speaking of the power of women of colour for community building...

2010-01-11T11:44:00.001-05:00

I am still reeling from the Shades of Power dinner last night. The event was a volunteer-organized fundraiser to raise awareness about women of colour's mental health. Funds were raised to support Across Boundaries, a mental health centre providing support to people of colour in the GTA.

I was moved and inspired by the courage and energy of the women of colour who performed, shared experiences and organized the event. The speaker and performers' words reflected the painful realities of the health inequities experienced by women of colour in Ontario and beyond -- the impacts of racialized and gendered violence, migration, racism, displacement, isolation, navigating the mental health system, housing, legal system, mothering and family relationships, what it means and takes to feel good and beautiful as a woman of colour -- and the beauty and joy of the support systems of community, friends and family.

This event was organized through the initiative, passion and energy of volunteer Mya Vijendran. Thank you, Mya, for this incredible event!

This bridge called my back: A retro look at women of color and power

2010-01-11T10:24:00.003-05:00

An interesting essay about the vital importance and power of women of colour for social justice by Nisha Agarwal, Director of the Health Justice Program at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest:

http://www.race-talk.org/?p=1771

CBC news (Jan 4/10) - US lifts travel ban on HIV+ individuals

2010-01-05T10:28:00.001-05:00

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/01/04/hiv-aids-travel-ban.html

HIV travel ban lifted in U.S.
Last Updated: Monday, January 4, 2010 | 12:13 PM ET CBC News

Canadians with HIV/AIDS are allowed to visit the United States as of Monday, after the U.S. lifted its 22-year ban against foreigners infected with the virus.

Since 1987, the ban had restricted people who are HIV positive from immigrating to or visiting the U.S.

At the time, little was known about how HIV was transmitted, and some American politicians believed they could stop the virus from spreading in the U.S. by keeping foreigners with AIDS out of the country.

Washington, D.C., is hosting the 2012 International AIDS Conference * an event made possible with the removal of the ban, U.S. President Barack Obama's administration said.

An estimated 65,000 Canadians were HIV positive in 2008, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

SURVEY - Health Communities Ontario

2010-01-04T13:10:00.003-05:00

Please forward this to anyone that might be interested in participating in this survey. If you have already received a similar message please do not complete the survey again and accept our apology for cross-postings.

The Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion offers capacity building services to organizations and groups that are interested in acquiring training and supports services for the Healthy Communities Ontario.

The Healthy Communities Ontario approach includes six priority areas of focus. These include:

• Physical Activity, Sport & Recreation
• Healthy Eating
• Tobacco Use/ Exposure
• Injury Prevention
• Mental Health
• Substance and Alcohol Misuse

The Ministry of Health Promotion would like your help to plan their services to respond effectively to the needs of organizations and groups that are interested in participating in Healthy Communities Ontario. If you belong to an organization or group that may be eligible and interested in applying to Healthy Communities Ontario, please take 15 minutes of your time to respond to the survey. Your responses will be confidential and reported anonymously. Copies of the report will be available on request by contacting lorna[at]ohcc-ccso.ca .

Please complete this survey by January 15, 2010.

For more information on the Healthy Communities Ontario approach and the Healthy Communities Fund visit the Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion online at http://www.mhp.gov.on.ca/english/healthy_communities/default.asp

If you have any questions about the questionnaire, please contact Lorna Heidenheim, Executive Director, Ontario Healthy Communities Coalition by email at: lorna[at]ohcc-ccso.ca or by telephone at 416-408-4841 or 1-800-766-3418, ext. 4 or Laura King Hahn, Program Coordinator, Ministry of Health Promotion by email at: laura.king-hahn[at]ontario.ca or by telephone at 416-314-5514.

Please click here to open the survey.

SURVEY - Invisible Chronic Illness - Lesbian and bisexual women and Trans people

2010-01-04T13:07:00.001-05:00

The purpose of this survey is to gather information regarding the challenges faced by lesbian, bisexual and queer women, and transgendered and transsexual people who live with invisible chronic illnesses. You do not have to have a formal medical diagnosis to fill out this survey. However, you must have an invisible chronic physical condition. Invisible chronic illnesses (ICIs) share a number of characteristics regardless of diagnosis. Some of these characteristics are: non-observable symptoms (i.e. pain, fatigue, cognitive difficulty), some symptoms are immeasurable, sometimes people appear well, and the illness has periods of exacerbation and remission.

There are many ICIs. A few examples are: multiple sclerosis, arthritis, HIV, fibromyalgia, lupus, and irritable bowel syndrome. If you are not sure whether you are living with an ICI we still want to hear from you. Please fill out the survey. There will be room at the end for comments and you can let us know there why you are not sure.You also must reside in Canada since the results of the survey will be used to advocate for change within the Canadian medical system and for community-based services. It does not matter whether you are a Canadian citizen, permanent resident, refugee claimant, temporary worker, or undocumented. As well, you must be at least 18 years old.

This survey is anonymous. You are not requested to provide your name to participate. Any identifying information you provide will be altered to ensure confidentiality. Your privacy will be protected.The results of this survey will be presented at the Rainbow Health Ontario 2010 Conference to raise awareness regarding ICIs and to start a conversation that will lead to change regarding the services needed for lesbian, bisexual, and queer women and trans people living with ICIs. To find out more about Rainbow Health Ontario go to: http://www.rainbowhealthontario.ca/

Additionally, results from this survey may be used for publication to raise awareness and/or advocate for change.
The survey takes between 20 and 30 minutes to fill out. Here is the link:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/icisurvey

The survey will be online until February 21, 2010.

About the researcher
The researcher is Silvana Bazet. This survey was designed by Silvana with the input of a Community Advisory Committee. Silvana is a lesbian and lives with an undiagnosed ICI. She is also a psychotherapist in private practice and Clinical Member of the Ontario Society of Psychotherapists. To find out more about Silvana go to: http://torontopsychotherapy.wordpress.com
Should you have any questions or comments, please contact Silvana at: queericisurvey[at]gmail.com

The survey is also available in Word to be printed and distributed to those who may not have access to a computer. Please contact Silvana to obtain a copy.

Trainings for Service Providers: Building Capacity in Trans Health Care (Toronto)

2010-01-04T13:03:00.001-05:00

Trainings for Service Providers: Building Capacity in Trans Health Care

This two part workshop is intended for physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners and counsellors

1. The Joy of Gender: Understanding Trans Experience

by Hershel T. Russell, MA, Med, Independent Psychotherapist

The workshop will cover the spectrum of gender presentation, gender identity, including the historical and cross-cultural contexts of trans people?s lives. The workshop will build on the physician?s and nurse?s role in providing general and transition-related health care to trans patients.

2. Providing Comprehensive Primary Care for Trans Clients

by Dr. Kate Greenaway and Dr. Ed Kucharski

This workshop will give the participants an introduction to providing specialized primary care to trans clients. Specifically, we will look at starting hormones for gender transition from the evaluation stage to prescribing an initial regimen. The workshop will use a combination of didactic teaching, case studies and group discussion

Date: Thursday, January 21, 2010

Time: 9 am to 1 pm

Location: Sherbourne Health Centre, 333 Sherbourne St, Toronto

Registration Cost: $ 50.00

Includes: Clinical Protocol Guidebook and lunch

Space is limited to a maximum of 15 persons

For further information and payment please contact Devan Nambiar

dnambiar[at]rainbowhealthontario.ca 416-324-4100 ext. 5262

Among Friends - Free training for service providers who work with newcomers and LGBTQ clients

2009-12-21T11:43:00.004-05:00

Among Friends is offering FREE TRAININGS for service providers who work with newcomers
and/or lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer+ (LGBTQ) clients!

An Introduction to Working with LGBTQ Newcomers

Training A: For service providers who work with newcomer clients

Participants will reflect on the complexity of the newcomer experience within an LGBTQ context, learn definitions, acknowledge barriers and identify ways to create more positive spaces.

Select one date: Friday Jan 29, Feb 5, Feb 19 or Feb 26
9:30am to 12pm

Training B: For service providers who work with LGBTQ clients

Participants will understand the LGBTQ experience within an immigrant and refugee context, learn cultural terms, acknowledge barriers and identify ways to create more inclusive spaces.

Select one date: Friday Jan 29, Feb 5, Feb 19 or Feb 26
2:00pm to 4:30pm

We encourage your front-line, management, executive, board and volunteer staff to attend.

Trainings will be held at Access Alliance

340 College Street, Suite 500 (near College & Spadina)

Spaces are limited. Please register in advance with Aamer at amongfriends[at]accessalliance.ca or call 416-324-8677 ext 309

Can*t come to us? Let us come to you!!

Among Friends can offer these FREE trainings at your workplace.

Among Friends is a collaborative project between Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services, The 519 Church Street Community Centre and CultureLink. The project aims to provide resources and support to service providers in Toronto in becoming more LGBTQ newcomer positive and to increase volunteer opportunities for LGBTQ newcomers.

Funded by The Ontario Trillium Foundation

CALL OUT - Bodies of Dissent Transform Conference - March 12-14, 2010 (Peterborough, ON)

2009-12-14T10:36:00.002-05:00

Bodies of Dissent: Transform
March 12-14, Peterborough, ON

Transmission, the organizers of last year's Bodies of Dissent: TransAccess
conference, invite trans and gender variant communities, individuals and
allies to submit proposals for workshops and presentations of various
forms for the upcoming Trans conference. Bodies of Dissent: TransForm will
be focused on developing strategies and networks to change individuals,
communities, organizations and systems. We are issuing a call to action to
unite to build communities of empowerment and change.

Please send a proposal outlining the nature of your workshop, presentation
or creative project specifying the topic or focus, as well as any
materials and/or accommodations required. Workshops, presentation, films
and creative projects will be happening during March 12th and 13th,
accompanied by performances in the evenings. Interested performers are
also encouraged to contact us.

E-mail bodiesofdissent@gmail.com with Proposals, Ideas, Questions

** Proposals are due Monday, January 18th **

Calgary Herald (Nov 8/09) - Aboriginal transplant rates show 'two tiers' to health-care system: experts

2009-11-09T11:04:00.000-05:00

MOOSE FACTORY, Ont. — Peter Nakogee knows the chances are not good for aboriginals seeking transplants in Canada, but the gregarious father of four has reason to celebrate.

The former mayor of a small Cree community on James Bay has finally made it onto a national waiting list. As of this week, Nakogee is in line for a new kidney that could not only transform his life, but show it’s possible to overcome what some consider a racial divide in Canada’s health-care system.

The disparities in the medical treatment received by First Nations people compared to other Canadians have attracted growing national and international attention. The latest study says aboriginal people are only one-third as likely to get a kidney transplant as Caucasian Canadians, even though they have more than twice the rate of kidney failure.

Full article at: http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/Aboriginal+transplant+rates+show+tiers+health+care+system+experts/2199807/story.html

BBC News - Call for more ethnic data: Health experts have said more information is needed about ethnic minority groups in Scotland

2009-11-09T10:26:00.003-05:00

Article in today's BBC news regarding the need for better data about the health of racialized communities in Scotland.

The article refers to a new report called Health in Our Multi-Ethnic Scotland: http://www.healthscotland.com/documents/3768.aspx

BBC News (9 Nov/09) - Call for more ethnic health data: Health experts have said more information is needed about ethnic minority groups in Scotland

Health experts have said more information is needed about ethnic minority groups in Scotland.
A report has identified five priorities including recording the ethnic identity of every person registered with the health service.

It said the authorities know little about the health of ethnic minority groups north of the border.

This is largely because ethnicity is not recorded on death certificates and rarely on NHS records, it said.

The report said: "Only 15% of hospital admission records and 18% of cancer registration data currently have an ethnic code."

The report, Health in our Multi-ethnic Scotland, also said some of the recent findings also indicated that the health of ethnic minority groups is often better than that of the majority white Scottish population.

But it said action was required to tackle higher rates of coronary artery disease and diabetes amongst South Asian people compared to the general population.

The article can be read at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/8349583.stm

The report is at: http://www.healthscotland.com/documents/3768.aspx

RESOURCE - Health literacy and readability tools

2009-10-16T14:19:00.004-04:00

Health information is often confusing because of the advanced language used. This language can lead to misinformation, confusion and unequal access. Readability is an important part of ensuring that health information is accessible and clear.

The Iowa Department of Public Health website lists a number of tools that assist with readability. The tools can be viewed here: http://www.idph.state.ia.us/health_literacy/readability.asp

PANEL (Toronto) - Stranger in a Strange Land: How does immigration impact on mental health?

2009-10-16T14:14:00.001-04:00

What happens when travel is not a fun escape from the daily grind, but a necessity? When, for economic,political or security reasons, one decides to make a home and find employment in a new country? Adapting to a new country, learning a new language and being separated from family can create significant strain.
Employment circumstances may be stressful when jobs are low-paid or temporary. And, some refugees may be coping with post-traumatic stress. With all the challenges of being “new” to Canada, how do immigrants and refugees get help with mental health concerns?

Tuesday, October 27, 2009, 7 p.m.
Gladstone Hotel (North Ballroom)
1214 Queen Street W., Toronto

Experts:
Laura Simich, PhD
Scientist, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Assistant Professor, University of Toronto

Peter Smith, PhD
Scientist, Institute for Work and Health
Assistant Professor, University of Toronto

Martha O’Campo, RN
Manager, Education and Resources
Across Boundaries Mental Health Centre

Moderator:
Kwame McKenzie, MD, MRCPsych
Senior Scientist, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Professor, University of Toronto
and University of Lancashire

Please join us for refreshments and a lively discussion about the latest health research evidence and community perspectives on this issue. This event is presented by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and its Institute of Population and Public Health, in partnership with the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Mental
Health Commission of Canada.

Space is limited.

RSVP: cafescientifique@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca

Echo and OWHN want to hear your voice on October 21, 2009 (Toronto)

2009-10-08T09:33:00.001-04:00

Echo and the Ontario Women's Health Network invite you to join us for
the day on Wednesday October 21st, 2009, in discussing The Minister of
Health's 10-Year Mental Health and Addictions Strategy.

Your voice will be heard by the Ministry of Health!

Please see attached flyer for details, as well, please post in your
work-place and pass on to your networks. We want to reach as many women
in Toronto as possible!

This event has limited space and is intended for community women,
service providers & community planners.

To register: please contact OWHN at owhn[at]owhn.on.ca or call us at
416-408-4840 no later than October 16th, 2009.

Ontario Women's Health Network
180 Dundas St. West, Suite 1900
Toronto, ON M5G 1Z8
416-408-4840
www.owhn.on.ca
owhn[at]owhn.on.ca

WORKSHOP (Toronto) - Barbados Nurses' Association of Canada - Wellness Workshop on Elder Abuse and Pancreatic Cancer - Oct 17/09

2009-10-08T09:14:00.001-04:00

The Barbados Nurses' Association of Canada (Toronto Chapter) is offering a Fall Wellness Workshop on elder abuse and pancreatic cancer.

Date: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2009
Time: 9:30am -1:30pm
Location: 867 College Street (Ossington and College Streets)

Speakers from 13 Division Community Response Unit and the Canadian Cancer Society.

Free admission.

Refreshments provided.

COMMUNITY FORUM (Toronto) - Arguments for Publicly Funded Dental Care - Oct 14/09

2009-10-07T16:04:00.002-04:00

What's The Difference Between a Tooth Ache & An Ear Ache?
Arguments for publicly funded dental care

When: Wednesday, Oct. 14, 5:30 to 7 p.m. - RSVP by Oct. 8/09
Where: The Mustard Seed, 791 Queen St. E, Toronto

Everyone is welcome at this community forum to share ideas and information about health and fairness. Free admission, sandwiches & snacks.

Participants will discuss why dentistry was excluded from Canadian Medicare and the impacts of this decision on our health. Public financing of dental care in Ontario would be good public policy.

With:
Carlos Quiñonez, Assistant Professor and Director of the Specialty Training Program (Dental Public Health) at the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, & Associate Researcher at the Centre for Research on Inner City Health at St.
Michael's Hospital,

Paula Fletcher, Toronto City Councillor, Ward 30, Toronto-Danforth,

Sister Georgette Gregory, CSJ, Director of In Good Company, Fontbonne Ministries, Sisters of St. Joseph & Member of the Toronto Oral Health Coalition.

RSVP by Oct. 8 to Anne-Marie Tynan (ext. 2522) tynanma@smh.toronto.on.ca

Rainbow Health Ontario 2010 Conference: Call for Proposals - deadline Oct 16/09

2009-10-06T09:17:00.001-04:00

Rainbow Health Ontario (RHO) is seeking presenters for its first bi-annual provincial conference focused on the needs and issues of our diverse and vibrant LGBT communities. The Rainbow Health Ontario 2010 Conference: Improving Access and Equity in Health for LGBT People will be held in Toronto, Ontario from March 24 -26, 2010. (Note new date)

Conference Overview
The Rainbow Health Ontario 2010 Conference will provide a forum for health and social service providers, community members, researchers and policy makers to share knowledge, experience and ideas, to network and develop partnerships, and to find inspiration for their ongoing work. RHO invites you and your colleagues from around the province to join us for this unique opportunity to share your work and to learn more about LGBT health and wellness issues in Ontario.

Submission Information
RHO invites proposals which present new information or insight into LGBT health and wellness issues, with particular emphasis on the main areas of focus:

- LGBT emotional, mental, physical and spiritual health and wellness issues
- Recent LGBT health research from Ontario and Canada
- Innovative and creative LGBT health promotion programs
- Public policy and activism: current issues and strategies
- Education and training: effective teaching tools and resources

Proposals will be accepted for oral presentations, skills-building workshops, panel discussions and poster sessions. All presentations will be 90 minutes in length and may be delivered in either French or English.

Call Deadline
Submissions must be made online at www.rainbowhealthontario.ca/conference and must be received no later than FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2009, 5pm EST.

For more information, please visit:
www.rainbowhealthontario.ca/conference/callforproposals

Plenary (Toronto) - Research with Pride - Oct 2/09 3pm

2009-10-01T16:09:00.001-04:00

Research with Pride

Join us for our PUBLIC closing plenary ‘Next Steps: From Research to Policy’ with Nick Mulé and Loralee Gillis.

From Health Research to Healthy Policy: Challenges and Responsibilities of LGBT Knowledge Transfer

October 2, 2009
3:00-4:30pm
Room 610
Health Science Building
155 College St.
*Free*

You do NOT need to register for this plenary and we welcome everyone who can attend!

ABSTRACT

From Health Research to Healthy Policy: Challenges and Responsibilities of LGBT Knowledge Transfer

Presenters: Nick Mulé & Loralee Gillis

This session will focus on both the challenges and responsibilities LGBTs have in 1.) prioritizing broad health and wellbeing issues; 2.) conducting community-based research; 3.) producing recommendations that effect change; and 4.) lobbying for those changes in political arenas. An historical overview of the development and politicization of the broad health issues affecting LGBTs in Toronto, Ontario and Canada will shed light on the challenges and responsibilities that have and continue to be faced in an era that has been dominated by the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Interactive in its approach, this session will outline what is meant by broad LGBT health and wellbeing issues from a social determinants of health perspective. It will capture some of the important principles involved in conducting community-based research, discuss the fluidity of social locations all stakeholders move through, and it will highlight crucial differences between the community and academic worlds and that of the political world. Just as Canadians have long treasured health care as a basic human right, we need to question why we LGBTs are having difficulty getting accessible, equitable, informed and sensitive health care. This is not only an issue of our health and wellbeing this is an issue of social justice.

For more information: info@researchwithpride.org

REPORT (United Stated) - The Poor Pay More - Poverty's High Cost to Health

2009-10-01T15:40:00.001-04:00

The Poor Pay More - Poverty’s High Cost to Health

George A. Kaplan, Ph.D. Thomas Francis Collegiate Emeritus Professor of Public Health
Founder Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health - University of Michigan
September 2009

Available online as PDF file [39p.] at:
http://treefortremotecontrol.com/users/spotlight_on_poverty/RelatedFiles/e995cd7a-8416-4b89-983a-4f39fbf6de39.pdf

“….describes factors that can result in poor health for low-income people, including neighborhood safety, housing quality and access to nutritious food. The report examines policies for addressing these problems such as increasing the minimum wage, investing in early childhood education and increasing aid to jobless workers. This report was issued by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in conjunction with Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity.

“…..This report describes many of the ways in which being poor is bad for one’s health and points to policies that have the potential for restoring the prospect of good health to the lives of the poor. We present compelling evidence that poverty has an impact on not just the body politic but the body corporeal as well—that being poor leaves a broad footprint on the health of individuals….”

Content:
- Introduction
- The Social Determinants of Health
- Finding Solutions
- Conclusion
- End Notes
- Figure References
--
Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health www.sph.umich.edu/cseph University of Michigan

In the News - the POWER Study

2009-10-01T15:33:00.000-04:00

POWER study results support the need to re-evaluate depression treatment in Ontario
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20091001/POWER-study-results-support-the-need-to-re-evaluate-depression-treatment-in-Ontario.aspx

October 2009 04:42
Research finds even for those hospitalized for severe depression, many receive little follow-up
Less than half of men and women in Ontario who may be suffering from depression see a doctor to treat their potentially debilitating condition, according to a new women's health study by researchers at St. Michael's Hospital and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES). What's more, many hospitalized for severe depression fail to see a doctor for follow-up care within 30 days of being discharged, and many head to hospital emergency departments for care. The findings suggest the need for a comprehensive care model involving a multidisciplinary team of health-care professionals, including family doctors and mental health specialists, to help women and men and better manage depression and improve their quality of life.

"As a leading cause of disease-related disability among women and men, depression puts a tremendous emotional and financial burden on people, their families and our health-care system," says Dr. Arlene Bierman, a physician at St. Michael's Hospital and principal investigator of the study Project for an Ontario Women's Health Evidence-Based Report (POWER). "Many Ontarians with depression are not treated for their condition and those who are often receive less than desired care. While there is a lot that is known about how to improve depression, we need to apply this to our work with patients if we want to improve the diagnosis and management of depression. "This involves better co-ordination among primary care and mental health-care professionals in both community and hospital settings," added Dr. Bierman, a researcher at ICES.

Nearly half a million Ontarians, aged 15 and older, suffer from depression. Worldwide, an estimated 154 million people are afflicted by the condition, which is responsible for lost productivity, increased disability claims and greater use of health-care services.

Key findings of the POWER study released today include:

Less than 50% of men and women with depression visited a doctor for care for their condition
33% of men and women discharged from hospital for severe depression did not see a doctor for a follow-up visit within 30 days
17% visited a hospital emergency room within 30 days of discharge from hospital while about 8% were readmitted to hospital
Many older adults started on antidepressant medication did not receive the recommended number of follow-up visits to manage their condition.
The lack of co-ordinated care for patients suggests the need for a collaborative care-model involving a team of health-care professionals, including mental health professionals and primary care providers.
"Research shows that patients cared for using a collaborative model are more likely to see improvement in symptoms, are able to better manage their depression and avoid multiple visits for emergency care," said Dr. Elizabeth Lin, lead author of the chapter and a research scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). A study by CAMH released earlier this year also found collaborative care to be a less costly and more effective way of providing mental health treatments for people on short-term disability leave for a psychiatric disorder.

The study titled POWER (the Project for an Ontario Women's Health Evidence-Based Report), is funded by Echo: Improving Women's Health in Ontario, an agency of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. It is the first study in the province to provide a comprehensive overview of women's health in relation to gender, income, education, ethnicity and geography. The findings are detailed in the report titled Depression - the third to be released this year as part of the study. Findings can be used by policymakers and health-care providers to improve access, quality and outcomes of care for Ontario women.

"The findings clearly support the need to re-evaluate the treatment of depression in Ontario," says Pat Campbell, CEO, Echo: Improving Women's Health in Ontario. "We need to provide better access and delivery of more appropriate and effective courses of care. The POWER Study makes a strong case for the adoption of collaborative care models - a key finding that can help inform system planning, program planning and policy development."

New POWER Study Chapter Available - Depression

2009-10-01T14:46:00.003-04:00

From the POWER Study:
"Although women from lower-income areas were more likely to have probable depression than those from higher-income areas, they had similar rates of use of OHIP core mental health services (Exhibit 5A.5). However, women from higher-income neighbourhoods incurred greater OHIP core mental health costs per capita than women from lower-income neighbourhoods
(Exhibit 5A.6)." (page 7)

See note from POWER team:

The POWER Study (Project for an Ontario Women's Health Evidence-based
Report) Depression chapter is now available for download.

The POWER Study is producing a two-volume Women's Health Report to serve as an evidence-based tool for policy makers, providers, and consumers in their efforts to improve health and reduce health inequities among Ontario women.

In the Depression chapter, the patterns of depression care in the province and how these vary by sex, income and geography are presented.

A set of evidence-based indicators, based on the continuum of depression care are reported at the provincial and Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) levels. Indicators included background measures of the need for, use and supply of mental health care services, and indicators of primary and specialty outpatient care and acute and specialty inpatient care including measures of transition back to into the community after a hospital stay for depression.

Download the Depression chapter at http://powerstudy.ca/the-power-report/the-power-report-volume-1/depression.

The Depression Chapter Highlights document, which outlines the chapter’s key findings and recommendations, will be available in French at http://www.powerstudy.ca/l-etude-power-/volume-1/depression

Also available for download:

Chapter 1, Introduction to the POWER Study, provides an overview of Volume 1, outlining the health issues being addressed and the collaborative research model developed to produce the Report. Also included is a brief introduction to the development and use of indicators for improving health.

Download Chapter 1, in English, at http://www.powerstudy.ca/the-power-report/the-power-report-volume-1/introduction-to-the-power-study

and, in French, at http://www.powerstudy.ca/l-etude-power-/volume-1/introduction

Chapter 2, the POWER Study Framework, describes the conceptual framework developed to provide context for the analyses and describes the indicator selection process used. Download Chapter 2, in English, at http://www.powerstudy.ca/the-power-report/the-power-report-volume-1/the-power-study-framework

and, in French, at
http://www.powerstudy.ca/l-etude-power-/volume-1/cadre-de-letude

Chapter 3, the Burden of Illness, reports on the overall health and well-being experienced by Ontarians, and how it differs by sex, socioeconomic status, ethnicity and geography. It identifies opportunities for improvement and presents objective evidence to inform priority setting and to provide a baseline from which to measure progress. Download at
http://www.powerstudy.ca/the-power-report/the-power-report-volume-1/burden-of-illness

Chapter 4, Cancer, reports on the leading causes of cancer in women, including cancers of the breast, reproductive system, lung and colorectal cancer. Indicators assess cancer incidence and survival rates; and include indicators that capture the continuum of cancer care (prevention, screening, treatment and follow-up, and end-of-life care) and assess differences by gender, income, age and geography. Download at http://powerstudy.ca/the-power-report/the-power-report-volume-1/cancer

The Burden of Illness Highlights document and the Cancer Chapter Highlights document, which outline each chapter’s key findings and recommendations, are also available in French at
http://www.powerstudy.ca/l-etude-power/volume-1

Chapters on Cardiovascular Disease and Access to Health Care Services are forthcoming.

The POWER Study is funded by Echo: Improving Women's Health in Ontario, an agency of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. This report does not necessarily reflect the views of Echo or the Ministry. We welcome your thoughts and feedback on the Report.

Arlene S. Bierman, MD. MS
Echo’s OWHC Chair in Women’s Health University of Toronto and St Michael’s Hospital

Health Equity in the News: The $5, 000 Baby and Other Stories

2009-09-28T16:52:00.003-04:00

Recently, the Toronto Star's HealthZone featured stories about how some Ontarians are affected by the 3 month waiting period for OHIP coverage:
http://www.healthzone.ca/health/newsfeatures/article/700554--special-delivery-the-5-000-baby

For more information about the OHIP Coverage Waiting Period:
http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/pub/ohip/wait.html

CAMH Aboriginal Inpatient Program

2009-09-16T16:22:00.002-04:00

Please share widely.

CAMH Aboriginal Inpatient Program

In November of 2009, CAMH will be offering a 21 day inpatient cycle for ten male Aboriginal clients. This program has been designed to embrace Aboriginal values and spirituality and promotes self-determination. The involved CAMH staff and departments recognize the unique needs and circumstances of Toronto’s Aboriginal population and are committed to providing a safe and supportive environment where clients can explore and overcome their substance abuse.

Topics for discussion and aspects of the program include:

• Intergenerational trauma and substance abuse
• Personal and unique experiences of Aboriginal culture
• Substance abuse and communities/families
• Elder counseling
• Addiction as a learned behavior and predisposition
• Relationships
• Healthy expressions of anger
• Recreational therapy
• Loss, grief and addiction
• Sweat lodge ceremony and other traditional tools
• Blanket teachings

If you have questions or need assistance with the application process feel free to contact Kathryn at CAMH Aboriginal Services at any time, (416)535-8501 ext. 7654 or at kathryn_leblanc[at]camh.net

Free Mind Maps online application - Bubbl.us

2009-09-10T14:58:00.005-04:00

I just discovered a really fun and free online application. Bubbl.us enables you to create colourful mind maps and brainstorm online. The maps can be saved and embedded on websites. Here is my test map:

Check it out here: http://bubbl.us/edit.php

Deadline extended - City of Toronto Public Health Champion Awards

2009-09-10T11:03:00.003-04:00

From the City of Toronto website:

The nomination deadline for the 2009 Public Health Champion Awards has been extended to September 16. The award was established in 2008 by Dr. David McKeown, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health, to commemorate the 125th anniversary of public health in Toronto.

The award recognizes individuals or organizations that have made outstanding contributions to protecting and promoting the health of Toronto’s residents. Nominations will be adjudicated by a committee of the Board of Health assessing demonstrated achievement in one or more of four areas:

Providing leadership in efforts to reduce health inequalities
Fostering collaboration to improve the health of the population
Building community capacity through innovative health promotion strategies
Achieving impact by acting as a catalyst for change.

For more info: http://www.toronto.ca/health/awards/index.htm

REGISTRATION OPEN (Toronto) - Research with Pride

2009-09-09T10:05:00.002-04:00

Register NOW for Research with Pride - an innovative, student-led forum in partnership with the 519 Church Street Community Centre providing the opportunity for students, community members, and academics to come together to explore community-based research (CBR) with regards to wellness and health among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, two-spirited, and queer(LGBTT2Q) people and communities.

Research with Pride is about exploring the potential of CBR to transform our communities and create positive change.

This forum is FREE!

When: Friday October 2, 2009
Time: 8:30 am-4:30 pm
What: Presentations, workshops, and panel discussions facilitated by leaders in the field of LGBTQ community based research.
Where: 155 College (at McCaul) St. 6th floor

REGISTRATION HAS BEGUN!

Space is limited, so please register soon.
For more information, please visit our website or contact info[at]researchwithpride.org

RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT: New evidence of racism as social determinant of health (US)

2009-09-09T09:57:00.004-04:00

Full text of article at:
http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0006821

Title: Genetic Ancestry, Social Classification, and Racial Inequalities in Blood Pressure in Southeastern Puerto Rico

Authors: Clarence C. Gravlee1*, Amy L. Non(1), Connie J. Mulligan1,(2)
(1) Department of Anthropology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America, (2) Genetics Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America

Abstract
Background
The role of race in human genetics and biomedical research is among the most contested issues in science. Much debate centers on the relative importance of genetic versus sociocultural factors in explaining racial inequalities in health. However, few studies integrate genetic and sociocultural data to test competing explanations directly.

Methodology/Principal Findings
We draw on ethnographic, epidemiologic, and genetic data collected in southeastern Puerto Rico to isolate two distinct variables for which race is often used as a proxy: genetic ancestry versus social classification. We show that color, an aspect of social classification based on the culturally defined meaning of race in Puerto Rico, better predicts blood pressure than does a genetic-based estimate of continental ancestry. We also find that incorporating sociocultural variables reveals a new and significant association between a candidate gene polymorphism for hypertension (α2C adrenergic receptor deletion) and blood pressure.

Conclusions/Significance
This study addresses the recognized need to measure both genetic and sociocultural factors in research on racial inequalities in health. Our preliminary results provide the most direct evidence to date that previously reported associations between genetic ancestry and health may be attributable to sociocultural factors related to race and racism, rather than to functional genetic differences between racially defined groups. Our results also imply that including sociocultural variables in future research may improve our ability to detect significant allele-phenotype associations. Thus, measuring sociocultural factors related to race may both empower future genetic association studies and help to clarify the biological consequences of social inequalities.

Interesting blog entry - Inequities are killing people on a grand scale (Medical Wiki World)

2009-09-02T09:47:00.003-04:00

Interesting blog article from Medical Wiki World about the work of the World Health Organization's Commission on the Social Determinants of Health. The blog posting offers examples of the impacts of local and global health disparities and makes recommendations for promoting equity.

http://www.medical-wiki.com/20090902/inequities-are-killing-people-on-a-grand-scale/

FORUM (Toronto) - Research With Pride

2009-09-02T09:34:00.000-04:00

Register NOW for Research with Pride - an innovative, student-led forum in partnership with the 519 Church Street Community Centre providing the opportunity for students, community members, and academics to come together to explore community-based research (CBR) with regards to wellness and health among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, two-spirited, and queer(LGBTT2Q) people and communities.

Research with Pride is about exploring the potential of CBR to transform our communities and create positive change.

This forum is FREE!
When: Friday October 2, 2009
Time: 8:30 am-4:30 pm
What: Presentations, workshops, and panel discussions facilitated by leaders in the field of LGBTQ community based research.
Where: 155 College (at McCaul) St. 6th floor

REGISTRATION HAS BEGUN!
Space is limited, so please register soon by downloading our registration form at www.researchwithpride.org

For more information, please visit our website or contact info@researchwithpride.org

EVENT (Toronto) - FoodCycles Launch - September 12/09

2009-09-02T09:27:00.002-04:00

Come and visit the FoodCycles city farm and learn about all the wonderful chances to gain new skills, grow vegetables, create compost and make a difference in the community. You will get a site tour, fresh food and snacks, see the vegetable garden, the greenhouse and worm composting. It’ll all happen Saturday, Sep 12, 2009 from 10:00 am to 1 pm.

The FoodCycles greenhouse and one acre market garden is located at Downsview Park, just southeast of the intersection of Keele and Sheppard (70 Canuck Ave, map and directions http://bit.ly/1GYyWQ).

POSTER in English: http://bit.ly/L3JE9

Bring rain gear, closed toe boots or shoes and lighter layers in warmer weather. Don't forget a re-useable shopping bag if you're buying veggies! Feel free to bring food of your own if you're in the mood for sharing!

Visit our website http://foodcycles.org for more information or email foodcycles@gmail.com or call 416.845.0818.

POSTER in:
Italian - http://bit.ly/H741H
Hebrew - http://bit.ly/dNhEO
Spanish - http://bit.ly/Ubv1u
Filipino - http://bit.ly/3zHHx
Vietnamese - http://bit.ly/nwGha
Chinese - http://bit.ly/3L1mas

Cultural Competence Webinar on Anti-Oppressive Practices

2009-08-11T09:25:00.001-04:00

From BHIC listserv:
Cultural Competence Webinar on Anti-Oppressive Practices

Anti-Oppressive practice is an emerging framework to advance attention to diversity and social justice in the way community systems and services operate. On Thursday, September 10, 2009, Laura Burney Nissen, M.S.W., Ph.D., national program director for Reclaiming Futures, and Ann Curry-Stevens, M.S.W., Ph.D., assistant professor and research fellow at Portland State University will host a webinar to discuss how concepts of oppression, privilege and disparities impact the way in which services are constructed and successes measured. The 60-minute session will explain the evolution of cultural competence frameworks and their impact on the fields of substance abuse treatment and justice.

http://www.rwjf.org/pr/product.jsp?id=46929

[posted on RWJF Content Alerts]

Youth volunteers needed for Toronto sexual health rights film

2009-08-10T11:30:00.003-04:00

*Please forward widely*

Are you 25 or under?
Do you like being on camera?
Do you speak Cantonese, Urdu, Spanish, Punjabi, or Tamil?
Are you interested in learning about your sexual health care rights?
If so, volunteer for the Toronto Teen Survey!

Planned Parenthood Toronto and the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI) are partnering to share information on immigrant and newcomer youth sexual health.

We are looking for youth interested in learning about their sexual health care rights and would like to be filmed reading the TTS Youth Bill of Sexual Health Care Rights in Cantonese, Urdu, Spanish, Punjabi, or Tamil. The video will be posted on the PPT and OCASI websites.

Filming will occur on Thurs Aug 27th, 3pm-6pm at 180 Bloor St W, suite 1202 (Planned Parenthood Toronto)

Volunteers will receive $50 for being part of the project.
Food and TTC tokens will be provided.
There are a limited number of spots so please RSVP if you wish to attend.

For more information or to get involved, please contact:
Suzy Yim
Research Coordinator, Planned Parenthood Toronto Tel. 416-961-0113 x 153
E-mail: syim@ppt.on.ca

- ----
Suzy Yim, MSW, RSW
Research Coordinator, Toronto Teen Survey Planned Parenthood Toronto 36B Prince Arthur Avenue Toronto, ON M5R 1A9
Phone: (416) 961-0113 x 153
Fax: (416) 961-2512
syim[at]ppt.on.ca

RESOURCE - Using Maps to Promote Health Equity

2009-08-07T09:46:00.002-04:00

Social injustice and exclusion are shaped by place and space. For example, Toronto Public Health's Unequal City report reveals that men living in Toronto's highest income areas are expected to live 4.5 years longer than men living in the lowest income areas.

Mapping is a powerful tool that can be used to illustrate how inequities shape our communities and lives. The Opportunity Agenda and the Joint Centre for Political and Economic Studies have put together excellent resource on how mapping can be used to promote health equity.

Visit http://opportunityagenda.org/mapping for excellent links to information, articles, and resources about how mapping technology can be used in health equity work.

New research - Are Feminists Man Haters?

2009-08-06T11:04:00.001-04:00

Are Feminists Man Haters? Feminists' and Nonfeminists' Attitudes Toward Men
by Kristin J. Anderson, Melinda Kanner and Nisreen Elsayegh of the
University of Houston

Published in the Psychology of Women Quarterly, Volume 33, Issue 2,
Pages 216-224, June 2009

Abstract
Despite the popular belief that feminists dislike men, few studies have
actually examined the empirical accuracy of this stereotype. The present
study examined self-identified feminists' and nonfeminists' attitudes
toward men. An ethnically diverse sample (N = 488) of college students
responded to statements from the Ambivalence toward Men Inventory (AMI;
Glick & Fiske, 1999). Contrary to popular beliefs, feminists reported
lower levels of hostility toward men than did nonfeminists. The
persistence of the myth of the man-hating feminist is explored.

One of the researchers reported, "Our work finds that, indeed,
non-feminists believe in traditional gender roles such as men being
breadwinners and women being caregivers. At the same time, these
non-feminists actually appear to resent the confines of the traditional
roles they advocate, which presents a paradox for women and men in
traditional heterosexual relationships."

EVENT (Toronto) - August 14: Young Black Women and Women of Colour's Reproductive Health Forum - Women's Health in Women's Hands

2009-08-05T10:51:00.002-04:00

Information on Sex Reassignment Surgery (SRS) and Trans Health Care in Ontario

2009-08-04T16:25:00.001-04:00

From Rainbow Health Ontario:

INFORMATION ON SEX REASSIGNMENT SURGERY (SRS) AND TRANS HEALTH CARE IN ONTARIO

Provided by the SRS and Trans Health Policy Group, July 2009

The SRS and Trans Health Policy Group is a group of health care organizations (Sherbourne Health Centre, The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health) and trans community groups (The Trans Health Lobby Group of Rainbow Health Network and TransPULSE Research Study).

We have been asked to provide consultation to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care with regard to improving the health care system for transsexual and transgendered persons. The Group had a productive first meeting with officials from the MOHLTC on February 10th 2009 and has a further meeting scheduled in the fall of 2009. The results of our consultations will be reported as information becomes available.

In the course of our discussions, however, it has come to our attention that clear information on the current status of SRS in Ontario and related health care for trans patients under the Ontario’s Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) has not been readily accessible. We have produced a Frequently Asked Questions document to help address these questions:

Frequently Asked Questions about SRS and Trans Health Care
1. Has Sex Reassignment Surgery been re-listed as an OHIP covered procedure?
2. Who provides approvals for OHIP covered SRS?
3. What kinds of surgical body changing procedures does OHIP cover for approved sex reassignment surgery?
4. Are there body changing procedures that are not covered by OHIP?
5. Where are approved SRS patients referred for their surgical procedures?
6. Is there a waiting list to be seen at CAMH’s Gender Identity Clinic?
7. What if I live in an area that is far from the GIC in Toronto? Is there funding for travel expenses?
8. Where can I get other kinds of care like hormone therapy, counselling, or find a support group?
9. Are hormones covered by OHIP?
10. Where can I or my doctor find reliable materials on gender transition?

To view the FAQ document, please visit:

http://www.rainbowhealthontario.ca/admin/news/files/Comm-SRS-and-Trans-Health-July09.pdf

Pandemic flu planning through an equity lens - Wellesley Institute

2009-08-04T11:19:00.001-04:00

The possibility of an H1N1 pandemic is quite properly receiving a great deal of policy and health system attention. This is not just a question of system preparedness and monitoring; the potentially unequal impact of any pandemic needs to be addressed from the outset.

See this link for full article:

http://www.wellesleyinstitute.com/pandemic-flu-planning-through-equity-lens

Focus Group Facilitators needed! Recovery through the Lens of Cultural Diversity Project

2009-08-04T10:30:00.003-04:00

CRCT, in collaboration with the Health Systems Research and Consulting Unit at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and with funding from the Wellesley Institute, is implementing Recovery through the Lens of Cultural Diversity Project. The aim of the project is to examine recovery through a cultural diversity lens. This will hopefully lead to the development of a model of recovery that will improve the ability of community mental health organizations to design and deliver recovery-oriented services that are relevant and responsive to culturally diverse Toronto.

The partnership is seeking 5 experienced focus group facilitators:

o 1 Somali speaking

o 2 Tamil

o 1 Caribbean

o 1 youth

Interested parties may contact Deqa Farah at dfarah[at]crct.org for more info.

Call for participants - Capacity Building and Advocacy Project (CAP) - Ethno Racial People with Disabilities Coalition of Ontario

2009-07-31T10:37:00.001-04:00

Ethno Racial People with Disabilities Coalition of Ontario

Are you an ethno-cultural or racialized person with a disability? Looking to expand and share skills for empowering the disability community? Then, apply to Participate in ERDCO’S Capacity Building and Advocacy Project (CAP). Our project aims to advance the voices, issues, talents and giftedness of ethno-cultural and racialized people with disabilities and offer a series of workshops, including interesting guest speakers, opportunities to enhance communication skills and organize public meetings and advocacy initiatives, from this summer to spring, 2010.

JOIN THE CIRCLE

Participation in this project will expand the capacity to do public education and advocacy on such issues as human and disability rights, anti-oppression practice, cultural sensitivity and anti-ableism. It will be led by inspirational speakers, facilitators and engaged advocates with disabilities. ERDCO is currently taking names of people interested in applying to participate in this project.

Apply soon! Contact ERDCO at 416-657-2211 or write to us at erdco_ca@yahoo.ca.
An Honorarium will be provided to participants
Note: Attendant services and refreshments are provided, and ASL for some events.

Funded by the Access, Equity and Human Rights grants program, City of Toronto

Moratoria on removals to Burundi, Rwanda and Liberia lifted - July 23/09

2009-07-30T09:44:00.002-04:00

On July 23, 2009, the federal government announced that the moratoria on removals, or deportations, to Burundi, Rwanda and Liberia.

Additionally, changes were made to the Safe Third Country Agreement, no longer allowing individuals from countries where a Temporary Suspension of Removals exist (now Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Iraq, and Zimbabwe) to make an asylum claim at a Canada-US land border.

For more information, see:

Canada Council for Refugees
http://ccrweb.ca/en/bulletin/09/07/23-0

CIC media release:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/releases/2009/2009-07-23.asp

Women's Health in Women's Hands - Research participants needed

2009-07-24T10:14:00.003-04:00

RESOURCE - U.S. Centre to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities

2009-07-24T09:46:00.002-04:00

The Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities is part of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), United States. The Center supports the NCI to better understand and reduce cancer related health disparities and identify ways to support communities that are disproportionately affected.

http://crchd.cancer.gov/disparities/disparities-index.html

A number of related tools and information resources are available through their website:

http://crchd.cancer.gov/resources/datasources-and-tools.html

REPORT (2009) - Visible Minorities in the Federal Public Service: Unhealthy Workplaces Result in Mental Health Issues

2009-07-21T15:09:00.002-04:00

From the Colour of Change Network:

This report from the National Council of Visible Minorities in the Federal Public Services is called Visible Minorities in the Federal Public Service: Unhealthy Workplaces Result in Mental Health Issues. The report was released to the Canadian Commission on Mental Health.

http://ncvm.gc.ca/files/2009/NCVM_SUBMISSION_MENTAL_HEALTH_COMMISSION.pdf

York University - new graduate program in Health Policy & Equity

2009-07-21T14:56:00.001-04:00

Hi all,

I am happy to inform you that the application for the NEW Grad Program in Health - Health Policy & Equity field can now be found on-line. The application deadline is August 10th, 2009 with the expectation that we will be admitting our first cohort of students for a September 2009 start.

The webaddress is http://www.yorku.ca/web/futurestudents/graduate/programs/health/

To the prospective students - we look forward to receiving your applications and hopefully welcoming you to the program.

Have a great weekend.

Regina

Regina Pinto
Administrative Assistant
School of Health Policy & Management
Faculty of Health
York University
rpinto[at]yorku.ca
416-736-5157
www.yorku.ca/SHPM

CFP - Status of Women Canada Community Fund 2009/2010

2009-07-16T15:40:00.002-04:00

Status of Women Canada Community Fund Call for Proposals 2009/2010
The purpose of this Call for Proposals is to solicit funding applications for the Women's Community Fund of the Women's Program, Status of Women Canada. The call is open to eligible not-for-profit and for-profit organizations to carry out projects at the local, regional,provincial/territorial and national levels.

Deadline for submission of proposals: September 30, 2009.

The Women's Program Community Fund provides grants to projects at the local, regional and national levels. The objective of this fund is to address the economic and social situation of women and their participation in democratic life through projects that directly support women in their communities.

Status of Women Canada will focus its support on projects that address its 2009-2010 priorities:

. eliminating violence against women and girls;
. improving women's and girl's economic security and prosperity; and
. encouraging women and girls in leadership and decision-making roles.

Eligible Applicants

. Incorporated not-for-profit and for-profit Canadian organizations. (Note: An unincorporated organization that wishes to apply for funding can partner with an incorporated organization that agrees to: a) apply on its behalf, and b) take financial and administrative responsibility for
the project).

. Organizations with a democratic structure and a record of responsible governance (see definitions in Glossary of Key Terms)

. Organizations whose mandate and objectives reflect Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which stipulates, "(1) Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability," and "(2) Subsection (1) does not preclude any law, program or activity that has as its object the amelioration of conditions of disadvantaged individuals or groups, including those that are disadvantaged because of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability."

Eligible Projects
. Contribute to the achievement of the Women's Program objective
. Occur within a specific period of 36 months or less
. Demonstrate planned results with a complete and precise plan

How To Apply

. The application form for the Women's Community Fund is available on the Status of Women Canada website.
. All required documents must be submitted at the time of application. A checklist on the last page of the application form will help ensure all necessary documents are included.
. Proposals that are national in scope must be submitted to the Status of Women Canada headquarters in Ottawa. A project is considered national if it engages participants from at least three regions of the country in its development and implementation.

. All other proposals should be submitted to the nearest Status of Women Canada regional office (please see List of Status of Women Canada Offices in this document).

. As indicated in this Call for Proposals, all funding applications must be postmarked on or before the deadline date of September 30, 2009.

Information Guide in HTML format
http://www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/fun-fin/wcf-fcf/guide-eng.html

Community Mental Health Relief Worker Training Project

2009-07-16T15:19:00.000-04:00

Community Mental Health Relief Worker Training Project*

Are you an Internationally Educated Professional (IEP)
* with prior experience in the social services sector in your home country?
* interested in working in field of the community mental health in the Greater Toronto Area or in Hamilton?

If so, you can apply for a training program that will prepare IEPs for a career in community mental health, beginning as relief workers in a community-based adult mental health agency that promotes wellness.

The course will be offered in Toronto, during October - December 2009 over 8 consecutive Saturdays.
There is no fee for the fall 2009 session of this course.

The course will give you a good understanding of the mental health system in Ontario, legal issues, theoretical perspectives, practice approaches, terminology, values and attitudes that are important in the field and employer expectations. This will enhance your ability to compete successfully for relief worker positions. (Relief workers make up a pool of trained staff who are called upon to cover shifts for staff who are absent due to illness, vacation or educational leave.)

We are seeking applicants who are internationally educated professionals with:

· Post-secondary education (diploma or degree in the fields of social sciences, humanities, health or social work)
· Prior experience in social services, health care, community work; working or lived experience in the field of mental health is an asset
· Knowledge about the causes and symptoms of mental illness and the impact of mental illness and addictions on individuals, families and communities
· Proficiency in oral and written English: (LINC level 8 or equivalent is preferred
http://www.ymcatoronto.org/en/newcomers/you-arrived/newcomer-services/linc.html
· Fluency in additional languages is an asset
· Computer literacy (Word, email, internet)
· Ontario residency and able to work legally in Canada

To apply:

· Prepare a resume that clearly outlines your education and your paid and volunteer experience. Please include positions in the social service sector as well as other jobs you have held.
· Write a one-page letter that outlines why you want to take this course and why you think you are a suitable candidate for this training and for employment in the community mental health field.
· Email your letter and resume (in one document) to iesw@ryerson.ca, with "Mental Health Training" in the subject line. Submit application by July 31, 2009 at 5:00 p.m.

Only those selected for an interview and a written test will be contacted. Interviews will take place in August.

For more information, please contact iesw@ryerson.ca

This project is jointly managed by the Gerstein Crisis Centre and the Internationally Educated Social Work Professionals (IESW) Bridging Program at Ryerson University. A very active Advisory Committee includes IEPs, consumer survivors and representatives from several community mental health agencies in the GTA and Hamilton which are committed to hiring qualified IEPs from diverse communities.

Funded by the Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario

EXHIBIT (Toronto) - Disability Arts - Art with Attitude - July 15, 09

2009-07-14T11:04:00.001-04:00

Ryerson's edgy, in-your-face, proud and artful showcase of Disability Arts is
celebrating a major milestone of survival and audience impact next week.
Art with Attitude will be 10 years old this year, and we are celebrating on
July 15 with an Art with Attitude Retrospective.

In honour of the occasion, we are thrilled to present an all-star line-up of
performers who are part of the rich legacy of Art with Attitude's first decade.
Just think of it: an evening of dance, music, spoken word and merriment,
featuring Mark Brose, Heather Emme, Jane Field, Rachel Gorman, Frank
Hull, Irena Kagansky, Ruth Ruth, Neena Saloiya, Kazumi Tsuruoka and
Christopher Welsh. And to top it all off, the irrepressible Alex Bulmer is
returning to Canada to share her many talents as MC!

It's an event not to be missed. You'll find us at 55 Gould Street, on the
main floor of Ryerson's Student Campus Centre. Showtime is 7:00 PM on
July 15. Admission is free, and first-come, first in. ASL and Real-Time
Captioning will be provided.

CONFERENCE (Toronto) - Rainbow Health Ontario 2010 - Improving Access and Equity in Health for LGBT People

2009-07-14T10:48:00.004-04:00

Save The Date!
Rainbow Health Ontario 2010
Conference Improving Access and Equity in Health for LGBT People

A provincial conference to address the health and wellness issues of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) communities in Ontario.
March 31 – April 2, 2010
Toronto Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre Hotel
Toronto, Ontario

Rainbow Health Ontario is hosting its first bi-annual provincial conference focused on the needs and issues of our diverse and vibrant LGBT communities. The Rainbow Health Ontario 2010 Conference will advance the discussion on improving access and equity in health for LGBT people in Ontario by:

- creating an opportunity for health and social service providers, community members, researchers and policy makers from around the province to collaborate, network, and share effective strategies on improving the health status of LGBT communities;
- highlighting innovative programs, practices and research that address a diversity of LGBT health and wellness issues at the local and provincial levels;
- identifying the best strategies for using the shared research and program knowledge to inform public policy and program development;
- providing a forum to discuss ways of creating and supporting a province-wide LGBT health movement.

Questions? Rachel Gillooly & Associates - Conference Planners
E. rachelandassoc[at]xplornet.com
T. 705-454-8107
Watch www.RainbowHealthOntario.ca/conference for more information coming soon.

SHORT FILM (Vancouver Coastal Health) - Population Health: The New Agenda

2009-07-14T09:40:00.002-04:00

From the York U SDOH listserv:

The Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCH) has developed a Population Health strategy to inform its staff, partners and the public about population health and the types of actions that can be taken to promote the health of populations and communities. As part of this strategy, VCH has produced an educational video resource on health inequities. The video features commentary from Vancouver Coastal Health staff and stories from local residents about how the social determinants of health impact their lives.

The video is available online at: www.lemongrassmedia.net/lgm/blog/files/pophealth-the-new-agenda.html

Community ToolBox in Spanish

2009-07-14T09:26:00.001-04:00

Community Toolbox in Spanish

The Work Group for Community Health and Development, a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre based at the University of Kansas is pleased to announce the availability of the free global resource of the Community Tool Box in Spanish. Containing more than 7,000 pages of how-to information for the work of bringing about community change and improvement, their mission is to promote community health and development by connecting people, ideas, and resources. By using the Community Tool Box, they envision that people can come together to more effectively address community problems and goals that matter to them.

You can access the Community Tool Box online: http://ctb.ku.edu/es

SUMMER INSTITUTE (Montréal) - National Network for Aboriginal Mental Health Research - August 13-14, 2009

2009-07-10T10:54:00.002-04:00

A Message from the National Network for Aboriginal Mental Health Research (NAMHR):

We are pleased to announce our Summer Institute to be held in Montreal from August 10 to 12, 2009, followed by our Annual Meeting on August 13 and 14, 2009. The themes of this year's event are storytelling, resilience, and media. The Summer Institute will offer participants a variety of workshops on methods and practice in Indigenous mental health research. The Annual Meeting will provide a forum for discussion of activities within this multi-disciplinary field by some of the leading researchers across the country and abroad. Participants will have the opportunity to network with colleagues and national and international mentors. The Annual Meeting is open to all.

The Summer Institute is aimed at graduate students, post-doctoral and clinical fellows who study issues relevant to Indigenous mental health research and those who want to learn more about how to advance their skills in this area. We encourage applications from people working in a broad range of Indigenous mental health research capacities. There are a limited number of seats in our workshops, so please register early. There is no fee to attend these workshops, but registration is required. All travel and accommodation expenses are the responsibility of the registrant.

Note: The deadline for application is July 17, 2009. Please see the attached document for further details.

CONFERENCE (Ottawa) - 16th Canadian Conference on International Health - Health Equity: Our Global Responsibility

2009-07-10T09:22:00.001-04:00

16th Canadian Conference on International Health (CCIH)
Health Equity: Our Global Responsibility

Where and When: This year's conference is being held on October 25 - 28, 2009 at the Crowne Plaza Ottawa, 101 Lyon St. N., Ottawa, ON, Canada.

Registration: It's time to register for the 16th Canadian Conference on International Health (CCIH); early registration ends September 10, 2009! Seats are limited, so act fast; last year's conference was sold out. Please visit our website at http://www.csih.org/en/ccih/index.asp to register and for regular conference updates.

Conference Highlights: Below you will find the daily conference themes; to view the complete preliminary conference program visit: http://www.csih.org/en/ccih/program.asp

Sunday, October 25 - Pathways to Global Health Competence
Monday, October 26 - Ethical View of Health Equity: Trends and Challenges
Tuesday, October 27 - Global Health Diplomacy: A Tool for Global Health and Justice
Wednesday, October 28 - Thinking Globally/Acting Locally: The Reality and Challenges for the Future

How to Get Involved: If you, your organization, group or business want to get involved with this important international conference in Canada's capital, the following opportunities are available:

Sponsorships,
Oral Presentations,
Poster Presentations,
Networking Opportunities,
Volunteering.
The CCIH09 Conference has launched an online discussion site http://www.ccih09.pbworks.com to facilitate pre-conference discussion of the conference theme of Health Equity as well as session topics, and individual session and poster presentations. Viewers are able to post comments and questions.

For questions, to be added to the conference mailing list, or to find out more about the conference and about getting involved please contact the 2009CCIH at: 2009ccih@csih.org

The conference provides exciting opportunities for learning, networking and sharing projects and proposals, to find out more visit http://www.csih.org/en/ccih/overview.asp

We hope you can join us. The 16th Canadian Conference for International Health (CCIH) is organized by The Canadian Society for International Health (CSIH). To find out more about CSIH or to become a CSIH member visit: www.csih.org
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16e Conférence canadienne sur la santé internationale (CCSI)
L'équité en santé : notre responsabilité à tous

Où et quand: Cette année, la conférence se tiendra du 25 au 28 octobre 2009, à l'hôtel Crowne Plaza Ottawa, 101, rue Lyon N., Ottawa (Ontario), Canada.

Inscription: Vous pouvez maintenant vous inscrire à la 16e Conférence canadienne sur la santé internationale (CCSI); la date limite des inscriptions hâtives est le 10 septembre 2009! Faites vite, les places sont limitées; la conférence de l'an dernier a affiché complet. Veuillez visiter notre site web à http://www.csih.org/en/ccih/index.asp pour vous inscrire et obtenir régulièrement des mises à jour sur la conférence.

Points saillants de la conférence : Vous trouverez ci-dessous les thèmes journaliers de la conférence; pour consulter le programme préliminaire complet de la conférence, veuillez visiter http://www.csih.org/en/ccih/program.asp

Dimanche 25 octobre - Les cheminements vers la compétence en santé mondiale
Lundi 26 octobre - Point de vue éthique sur l'équité en santé : les tendances et les défis
Mardi 27 octobre - Diplomatie en santé internationale : un outil au service de la santé et de la justice mondiales
Mercredi 28 octobre - Penser globalement, agir localement : la réalité et les défis de l'avenir

Comment vous pouvez participer: Si votre organisme, votre groupe, votre entreprise ou vous-même désirez participer à cette importante conférence internationale qui se tiendra dans la capitale du Canada, vous pouvez le faire par l'un des moyens suivants :

commandites,
présentations orales,
présentations par affiches,
occasions de réseautage,
bénévolat.
Pour toutes questions, pour vous inscrire à la liste d'envoi de la conférence ou pour en apprendre davantage sur la conférence et sur la façon d'y participer, veuillez communiquer avec la CCSI 2009 à 2009ccih@csih.org

La conférence offre d'excellentes occasions d'acquérir des connaissances, d'établir des réseaux et d'échanger sur divers projets et propositions. http://www.csih.org/fr/Conference/overview.asp

Nous espérons avoir le plaisir de vous compter parmi nous. La 16e Conférence canadienne sur la santé internationale (CCSI) est organisée par la Société canadienne de santé internationale (SCSI). Pour obtenir de plus amples renseignements sur la SCSI ou pour y adhérer, veuillez visiter le site web www.csih.org

New research on Indigenous health

2009-07-09T16:47:00.002-04:00

[These resources from the Equidad/PAHO listserv may be contrasted with the recent Indigenous Children's Health Report from St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, that uses a cross-jurisdictional analysis -- Canada, US, Australia, New Zealand -- to show that Indigenous health inequities are a result largely of socio-economic, and not biological, factors. In particular, the role and impacts of colonization are highlighted in the ICHR.

These different approaches to equity point to the critical importance of exploring HOW research is framed and what the implications of that framing might be....]

From the Equidad/PAHO listserv:

Indigenous health part 1: determinants and disease patterns
Prof Michael Gracey MD a , Prof Malcolm King MD b
The Lancet, Volume 374, Issue 9683, 4 July 2009
Summary http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(09)60914-4/fulltext

“…..The world's almost 400 million Indigenous people have low standards of health. This poor health is associated with poverty, malnutrition, overcrowding, poor hygiene, environmental contamination, and prevalent infections. Inadequate clinical care and health promotion, and poor disease prevention services aggravate this situation.

Some Indigenous groups, as they move from traditional to transitional and modern lifestyles, are rapidly acquiring lifestyle diseases, such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes, and physical, social, and mental disorders linked to misuse of alcohol and of other drugs.

Correction of these inequities needs increased awareness, political commitment, and recognition rather than governmental denial and neglect of these serious and complex problems. Indigenous people should be encouraged, trained, and enabled to become increasingly involved in overcoming these challenges…”

Indigenous health part 2: the underlying causes of the health gap
Prof Malcolm King PhD a , Alexandra Smith MD b, Prof Michael Gracey MD c

a Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
b University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
c Unity of First People of Australia, Perth, WA, Australia

The Lancet, Volume 374, Issue 9683, 4 July 2009
Summary http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(09)60827-8/fulltext

“…..In this Review we delve into the underlying causes of health disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and provide an Indigenous perspective to understanding these inequalities. We are able to present only a snapshot of the many research publications about Indigenous health. Our aim is to provide clinicians with a framework to better understand such matters.

Applying this lens, placed in context for each patient, will promote more culturally appropriate ways to interact with, to assess, and to treat Indigenous peoples.

The topics covered include Indigenous notions of health and identity; mental health and addictions; urbanisation and environmental stresses; whole health and healing; and reconciliation….”

TransPULSE Research Project -

2009-07-02T16:24:00.001-04:00

PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY

An open letter to all Trans community members in Ontario from Anna Travers, Director, Rainbow Health Ontario and formerly Director of LGBT Services at Sherbourne Health Centre

Greetings:
You may have heard of the TransPULSE Research Project or perhaps not yet. It is a study of the health and well-being of trans people in Ontario that has been four years in the making. I am writing to tell you why it is important and to ask for your help.

A Little History:
This study was initiated in 2005 when my organization, Sherbourne Health Centre, was overwhelmed with the numbers of trans people seeking health care - especially people from places far outside our catchment area of Toronto. At that time, I consulted with our Trans Advisory Committee and we decided we had to try to create more services where trans people could receive respectful health care, including hormones and social support, right across this province. SRS was still not available under OHIP then so we were also working hard to change that too.

Starting with a small seed grant, a group of trans community members with histories of trans activism and community service began to design a research project that would demonstrate the problems with our health care system and show the impact of gaps in services and discrimination on trans people's health and lives. Although many of us know about these problems first hand or through our work with the trans community, there have not been any large research studies in Canada that can demonstrate to the government, to funders and to health care providers how hard it is to access health care and other services and how difficult life can be for trans people in Ontario.

Our goal is to reach 1000 trans people, representing all kinds of diversity from across the entire province

Control by Trans People
The Advisory Committee knew that lots of trans people had lost faith in researchers because so many studies had not served the trans community's needs. They decided that our research must be designed and controlled by trans people. This is how it has been with this project - trans people have chosen the academic researchers who have brought needed skills to the project, recruited staff, held focus groups and spent hundreds of hours ensuring that every question is relevant and thoughtfully worded.

The Study
Now we have a study that is designed to capture lots of important information about the experiences of our diverse trans communities - with health care, housing, employment, education, etc. We also thought it important to learn about how trans people live their lives, deal with barriers and find fulfilment so there are also questions about childhood, school, sexuality, relationships and parenting. All is confidential, no one will be identifiable and you can use a computer, paper copy or the telephone to complete the survey - you can even request a translator. The TransPULSE Survey is a very long study - but there is so much that we need to know! (Know = have scientifically valid evidence; evidence = the power to persuade, educate and make change)

How You Can Help
The TransPULSE Study is designed to reach out to a very diverse range of trans people (not just those in Toronto or those who are well connected). As a result you have to wait to get an invitation (a ticket) from another trans person who is taking the survey to participate. This method, which works a bit like a chain letter, means that the results are much more valid and reliable. So how can you help?

Talk to your friends know about the study and why it is important (send this letter out widely)
If you get a ticket (invitation to participate) please put aside an hour or more to complete the survey as soon as possible
Pass on the 3 tickets you will receive right after completing the survey to other trans people and encourage them to participate in building the evidence we need
Check out the Trans PULSE website http://www.transpulse.ca for more information and to see how the survey is going.

After We Reach Enough People
The sooner we get enough surveys back, the sooner we can analyze the data and start sharing the results. The information we learn could make a huge difference to trans people's access to health care and other services. The Ministry of Health is aware of the study and is sincerely interested in our findings. We also have plans to provide feedback to trans people themselves in a variety of creative and useful ways.

Thank you for reading this. Please forward it on to friends and listservs serving Ontario.
Sincerely, Anna Travers, Rainbow Health Ontario www.rainbowhealthontario.ca

Let's show that 1000 trans people in Ontario care about their health and want to make change!

http://www.transpulse.ca/

Prince George Citizen (June 29/09) - 'Startling findings' seen in Aboriginal study

2009-07-02T10:08:00.002-04:00

http://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/20090629199835/local/news/-145startling-findings-146-seen-in-aboriginal-study.html

Dire conditions facing many aboriginal children in Canada are the subject of a report being released at UNBC's National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health and UNICEF Canada.

The study, showing aboriginal children fall well below the national average in health and well-being, produced some "startling findings," says Dr. Margo Greenwood, a professor of First Nations Studies at UNBC and the centre’s academic lead.
The study found the infant death rate for Inuit children is more than three times the national rate, and almost on par with Sri Lanka and Fiji; the pregnancy rate of First Nations teenagers is seven times greater than that of other Canadian teenagers; the tuberculosis rate among some Inuit communities between 2002 and 2006 was 90 times higher than that of the non-aboriginal population

The study also shows that 40 per cent of aboriginal children under age 14 live in crowded homes, which is more than six times the rate for non-aboriginal children, and on-reserve First Nations child immunization rates are 20 per cent lower than the national rate

"Many Canadians who might be unaware of what is going in their own national backyard will be shocked,” said Greenwood. Aboriginal children "are facing health and well-being challenges that are totally unacceptable for any child,” she added.

"A key goal of the NCCAH is to help close the gap between what we know and what we do in the field of aboriginal public health," said Greenwood, who works with UNICEF Canada in linking researchers, policy-makers, communities and health-care practitioners.

Funded by the federal Public Health Agency, the NCCAH is among six Canadian centres dedicated to key areas of public health including infectious diseases, environmental health, and healthy public policy. A significant initiative for the NCCAH has been to bring together about 50 national aboriginal organizations in fields of housing, tourism, sports, culture, justice and more to find ways that lead to better health outcomes for their people.

LAUNCH (Toronto) - Real Nurses and Others: Racism in Nursing

2009-06-09T16:58:00.002-04:00

Real Nurses and Others: Racism in Nursing

by Tania das Gupta

Co-sponsored by Fernwood Publishing

WEDNESDAY JUNE 10, 2009 at 7pm

Toronto Women's Bookstore

73 Harbord Street (southwest corner at Spadina)

We regret our washroom is not wheelchair accessible.

All of our events are trans inclusive.

“Most nurses of colour experience everyday forms of racism, including being infantilized and marginalized. Most reported being “put down,” insulted or degraded because of race/ethnicity/colour. A significant proportion of nurses, non-white and white, report having witnessed an incident where a nurse was treated differently because of his/her race/ethnicity/colour.”

These are only some of the conclusions that author Tania Das Gupta arrived at as a result of her survey of 593 Ontario Nursing Association members. Within the framework of the political economy of health care and drawing from the findings of her research, the author develops an intersectional theoretical framework thathelps us understand how racism happens and provides a base from which nurses and other workers can fight racial harassment.

This book shows how systemic racism persists in the workplace. It shows how fear, lack of support,management collaboration, co-worker harassment and ineffective institutional responses make it difficult for victims of racism to fight back.

About the Author: Tania Das Gupta is an associate professor cross-appointed to the Department of Equity Studies and to Sociology at York University. She holds a PhD from the University of Toronto. Her research areas include race, gender, class, paid workplaces, diaspora, transnationalism and familyissues. She is the author of Racism and Paid Work (1996).

CONFERENCE (Maryland) - Researh to Reform: Achieving Health System Change

2009-06-08T14:15:00.003-04:00

AHRQ's 2009 Annual Conference - Research to Reform: Achieving Health System Change
September 13-16, 2009
Bethesda, Maryland - Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
http://www.ahrq.gov/about/annlconf09.htm

The conference is designed to bring participants together with leading health care research and policy experts in sessions on issues including quality and safety, delivery of services and improving Americans' health status.

Tracks:
Track A: Health Care Infrastructure
Track B: Organization of How Services Are Delivered
Track C: Health Care Quality and Safety
Track D: Improving Americans' Health Status
Track E: Provider Performance and Payment Reform
Track F: Increasing Patient and Consumer Involvement in Their Care

Sunday, September 13, 2009
1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. -
· AHRQ Scientific Review: Keeping Pace with New Trends
· AHRQ Ambulatory Triggers and TIDS ACTION Task Order Steering Committee
· Emergency Preparedness
· Risk Informed Workgroup Meeting

Monday, September 14, 2009
· Track A The Role of Health IT in Measuring and Reducing Disparities
· Track A Emerging Issues in Data Registry Design, Implementation, and Use
· Track B Linking Clinical Practices and Community Resources to Improve Health Care: Innovative Approaches
· Track C Experience in Improving Health Care Decision-Making With Health IT: Impacts on Quality and Safety
· Track C Reducing Hospital-Associated Infections (HAIs)
· Track D Progress of a Learning Network: Working to Reduce Disparities by Improving Access to Care
· Track F Shared Decision-Making: Helping Patients Be Partners in Their Care
· Track F Informing Care Decisions: Emerging Technologies, Scientific Evidence, and Communication
· Track C Research Informing Policy Informing Research: Continuous Quality Improvement and the AHRQ QI
· Track D USPSTF: Potential Impact on Medicare Coverage
· Track F Input Your Data – Output Your Website, a New AHRQ Tool That Transforms Data to Information
· Track A Rating the Evidence: Using GRADE to Develop Clinical Practice Guidelines
· Track A AHRQ's Role in Primary Care Transformation
· Track A Developing Research Infrastructure to Enhance Quality and Reduce Health Care Disparities
· Track A The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA): AHRQ's Role in Comparative Effectiveness Research
· Track B Facilitating Chronic Disease Improvement in Primary Care
· Track C Trends and Disparities in Measuring Health Care Efficiency
· Track C Advancing Safety and Quality: Supporting Patient Safety Organizations in Reducing Risks to Patients
· Track C A Simulation Demonstration: Keeping Today’s Patients Safe While Training Tomorrow’s Clinicians
· Track D Mental Health and Substance Abuse Care in Community Hospitals
· Track D Building Patient and Consumer Awareness: Achieving Maximum Exposure for Your Study Findings
· Track F Personal Health Records: What Are They Good For? A Panel Discussion
· Track A Maximizing the Impact of Comparative Effectiveness Research: The Role of the DEcIDE Consortia
· Track B Addressing Primary Care Workforce Challenges: A Panel Discussion
· Track C First Do No Harm: Ensuring the Safe and Effective Use of Health IT: A Panel Discussion
· Track C Risk-Informed Interventions: Improving Quality and Reducing Harm
· Track C Developing Research Careers Focused on Improving Health Care Quality
· Track C A Window Into the U.S. Health Care System: Measuring Quality and Implementing Change in Emergency Departments
· Track C Creating Health Information That Americans Can Understand
· Track D AHRQ's Role in the Patient-Centered Medical Home
· Track E Use of Outcome Measures in Payment Reform
· Track F Learning From the Patient's Experience: Opportunities to Improve Patient Safety

Tuesday, September 15, 2009
· Track A Connecting Guidelines, Measures, and Clinical Decision Support Systems. What's New?
· Track A Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement and Comparative Effectiveness Research
· Track B Getting to Meaningful Use of Health IT: Experiences in Redesigning Workflow in the Ambulatory Setting
· Track C Innovative Efforts for Linking Transparency, Patient Safety, and Quality of Care
· Track C Using Collaboratives to Reduce Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI): A National Implementation Program
· Track C Risk-Informed Evaluation of Patient Safety Training Activities
· Track D Improving Preventive Health Care: Success Stories
· Track E Regional Collaboratives as Catalysts for Quality Reporting and Improvement
· Track F Project RED: Reengineering the Hospital Discharge Process
· Track A Tricks of the Trade: Tools for Evaluating Clinical Effectiveness of Medical Interventions
· Track B What Not to Do in Primary Care: Overuse of Preventive Services
· Track C Overview of AHRQ Resources to Improve Patient Safety
· Track D Generating Quality Headlines in a Change Environment: Media Attention That Leads to Increased Awareness
· Track A Implementing the GRADE Method in Guideline Development: Real-World Experiences
· Track A Are We Making Progress? Measuring the Adoption, Meaningful Use, and Impacts of Health IT
· Track B Reforming Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
· Track B Measuring Inequities in Financing the U.S. Health Care System
· Track B Moving Beyond Institution-Based Service Delivery: Medical Homes and Health 2.0
· Track C Measuring Improvement in Hospital Team Work
· Track C Recent Findings in Patient Safety
· Track C Health Literacy in Action: Design, Development, and Measurement
· Track E Helping Hospitals Help Themselves: Proactive Steps to Avoid a Health Care System "Bailout"
· Track A Building the Health IT Infrastructure: How Do We Get There? A Panel Discussion
· Track A Do Ask, Do Tell: Best Practices in Conflict of Interest Policies for Research, Publishing, and Recommendation-Making
· Track B Adapting Global Innovations in Health Services Delivery
· Track B Redesigning Hospital Care for Quality and Efficiency
· Track B Expanding Insurance Coverage for Children, the Elderly, and the Uninsured: Opportunities and Challenges
· Track C Children's Health Care Quality: Responding to a New National Focus
· Track D Disparities in Health Care: Issues for National Reporting
· Track D Seeing the Forest for the Trees: Are Electronic Health Records Enough for Population Health? A Panel Discussion
· Track F Assessing Patients’ Experiences With Care: Using CAHPS as a Standardized Quality Metric

Wednesday, September 16, 2009
· Track A Assessing the Evidence: Overview of AHRQ's Comparative Effectiveness Guide for Systematic Reviews
· Track A Connecting Communities: Lessons From Six State Health Information Exchange Demonstrations
· Track B Trends and Issues in Access to Care: Implications for Health Care Reform
· Track B Enhancing Patient Safety and Quality With Evidence-Based Health Care Design
· Track C Reducing Hospital-Acquired Venous Thromboembolisms: Interventions That Work
· Track D So You're Doing Quality and Safety Improvement: How Can You Tell Whether It's Working?
· Track D Experiences in Patient-Centered Care: Improving Coordination and Communication Among Patients and Providers
· Track E Electronic Medical Record Systems in Critical Access Hospitals: Anticipated and Realized Benefits
· Track A Assessing the Evidence: Overview of AHRQ's Comparative Effectiveness Guide for Systematic Reviews
· Track B Health Care Quality for Children: New Opportunities for Measurement and Improvement
· Track B Chronic Diseases and Health Care Use and Spending: The Impact of Changes in the Health Care System
· Track C Advancing Safety and Quality: Supporting Patient Safety Organizations in Reducing Risks to Patients
· Track C MRSA: Reducing Infections and Changing Epidemiology, Improving the Health of Populations
· Track C A Comprehensive Unit-Based Safety Program (CUSP) as an Intervention Strategy
· Track C The Pharmacist's Role in Quality: Is the Profession Ready?
· Track C Collaboration Between Researchers and State Policymakers: A Model for Health Care Improvement
· Track D An Innovative Approach to Women's Health Care Research: Lessons from the California Virtual Lab
· Track E Payment Reform: Cost of Collecting Performance Data in Primary Care

FORUM (Toronto) - Community Sounding: Research with Pride

2009-06-04T12:18:00.001-04:00

COMMUNITY SOUNDING - RESEARCH WITH PRIDE

This open event will take place on June 18, 2009 from 6-8pm at the 519 Church Street Community Centre.

This community sounding will help shape and direct the Research with Pride: A Community Forum that will be hosted in October 2009. This forum will bring together community members, students, academics and researchers to discuss LGBTT2IQQ health and research and we want your input.

We are lesbian/gay/bisexual/trans students and allies at the University of Toronto who are concerned with the health needs of our communities. We come from different disciplines including public health, nursing and health policy and we share the recognition of a gap between LGBTT2IQQ health needs and the health resources our
community actually receives.

We know that certain members of our communities have been exploited, pathologised and made invisible by research that was supposed to be ‘for our own good.’ We also know that the line between researcher and researched is fuzzy and constantly changing. As more LGBTT2IQQ individuals have entered academia and/or engaged in community-based research, some of us are trying to redefine what research into
LGBTT2IQQ health can look like. We want to encourage anyone interested in these issues to come out.

We will be hosting a discussion about:
-The health needs of our communities
-What specific topics we should focus on for our forum
-Your experience with LGBTT2IQQ health research

This is a formal invitation to the Research with Pride Community Sounding.

Date: Thursday June 18, 2009
Time: 6-8pm
Location: 519 Church Street Community Centre, Rm. 313.

*** Refreshments will be provided***

For more information: info[at]researchwithpride.org

VIDEOCONFERENCE - Breaking the Cycle: Investigating the Intersection of Educational Inequities and Health Disparities

2009-06-04T10:05:00.002-04:00

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Program for Ethnicity, Culture, and Health Outcomes (ECHO)

Breaking the Cycle: Investigating the Intersection of Educational Inequities and Health Disparities

15th Annual Summer Public Health Research Institute and Videoconference on Minority Health
Tuesday, June 9, 2009, 1:30pm - 4:00pm EDT

Reginald Weaver, D.I.P.(hon), D.H.L.(hon), D.P.S.(hon), Vice President, Education International ; Past President, National Education Association
Dina C. Castro, M.P.H., Ph.D. , Scientist, UNC FPG Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Nicholas Freudenberg, Dr.P.H. , Distinguished Professor and DPH Director, Program in Urban Public Health, Hunter College School of Health Sciences/City University of New York
Lillian A. Sparks, J.D., Executive Director, National Indian Education Association
Howard Lee, M.S.W., Moderator, Executive Director, N.C. Education Cabinet; Past Chair, North Carolina Board of Education (Memoir)

Live, interactive broadcast via Internet (webcast) and c-band satellite from the
Tate-Turner-Kuralt auditorium at the University of North Carolina School of Social Work.

Presented by UNC Diversity and Multicultural Affairs
the Minority Health Project, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
and many collaborators and cosponsors.

The 15th Annual Videoconference is dedicated to the memory of Dean John B. Turner, 1922-2009, a writer, scholar, teacher, and educational leader who devoted his life to community organization, social activism and social work education.

Please support the Minority Health Project with your endorsement, testimonial, or cosponsorship.

Videoconference information:
http://www.minority.unc.edu/institute/2009/

Women's College Hospital - Consultation

2009-06-02T11:36:00.002-04:00

Women’s College Hospital is building a new facility designed to achieve its vision: to be the world’s pre-eminent ambulatory care hospital dedicated to women’s health.

To ensure the success of this initiative, we are speaking with 1,000 women in Ontario about their needs, priorities, perceptions and desires when it comes to hospitals, to healthcare programs, and to the care they receive. The knowledge generated will inspire new thinking and help WCH meet the needs of women (and their families). The more we know, the better WCH will be able to design our building, our programs, and our health care practices.

In May & June 2009, there are three ways women can get involved:

Live Community Forums
– participate in one of our moderated group discussions, where groups of 8-10 women will be invited to gather for lively 90-minute idea-sharing sessions.

Online Community Forums
– participate in one of our online group discussions, where women will be invited to log into an online bulletin board-style community and share their ideas.

Letters of Perspective
– all interested women in Ontario are invited to send an email or a letter describing your vision for the ideal women’s hospital. Think about how it might look, how it might feel to be there, the interactions that might take place, and the care that you might receive.

If you believe that people in your own community may have any unique needs that should be recognized, we hope you will describe these. By community we are referring to people who are similar to you with respect to any or all of the following: religion, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, household income, health insurance status, etc.

If you are interested, please contact us in any one of the following ways:
Email: shelley.davidson33[at]gmail.com
Phone: 416.699.2995
Mail: WCH 1000 WOMEN 2192 Queen Street East, Suite 62, Toronto ON M4E 1E6

SEMINAR (Toronto) - Overcoming Racialized Health Disparities: Research and Advocacy Priorities - JUNE 9th, 2009

2009-06-01T10:58:00.002-04:00

First Seminar:
Overcoming Racialized Health Disparities: Research and Advocacy Priorities
Tuesday, June 9, 2009

2 to 5pm
CERIS, Room 548
246 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON

Presenters:

Grace-Edward Galabuzi
(Associate Professor, Ryerson University)

Ilene Hyman
(Assistant Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto)

Notisha Massaquoi
(Executive Director, Women’s Health in Women’s Hands Community Health Centre)

Kwame McKenzie
(Senior Scientist, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health)

Angela Robertson
(Executive Director, Sistering)

Ruth Wilson and Yogendra B. Shakya
(Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services)

This seminar brings together leading researchers and activists to share findings about growing inequalities that people of color in Canada face, and the health impacts of these inequalities. Drawing on the findings, the seminar will then discuss strategies for bolstering research, collaboration, and advocacy for overcoming racialized health disparities.

For More Information and to RSVP contact

Martha Viveros at aaseminarseries[at]gmail.com or (416) 324-8619 ext 605
or visit: www.researchforchange.ca

This is the first of three seminars organized by Access Alliance in commemoration of its 20th Anniversary this year. The second seminar on ‘Addressing Social Determinants of Newcomer Health: Service and Policy Implications’ will be held in September 2009 and the final seminar titled ‘Doing Research with Racialized and Newcomer communities: Ethics, Equity and Social Justice’ will be held in November 2009.

Making Noise! Media Arts Project (Toronto)

2009-05-27T09:30:00.000-04:00

Tired of images and words about Muslim people in the Media being “oppressed”, “submissive” “terrorist”?

Want to challenge media stereotypes and create your own VIDEOS?

Come to Making Noise! Media Arts Project

Take part in a series of exciting FREE 8-week media training this summer! Making Noise! is an exciting hands-on media arts training that addresses the invisibility and negative portrayals of Muslim young women and Trans people in media.

• Learn video production techniques (filming, editing, sound, distribution) to create your own video
• Create and edit podcasts (recording and interviewing skills)
• Gain skills in media literacy and critique to challenge mainstream media images of Muslims and particularly Muslim women

All supplies and materials provided
TTC & Food will be provided
Childcare available with one week notice

When: mid-June to mid-August (8 weeks)
Time: 6:30 - 9:30pm on Wednesday or Thursday (to be determined)
Contact: make.noise.media[at]gmail.com or call (647) 456-4919

Deadline to apply is June 8th. Spaces are limited, so register early!
PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL TO MAKE.NOISE.MEDIA[at]GMAIL.COM TO APPLY!!!

Making Noise! is open to all women and Trans people who self-identify as Muslim (16 – 29). We are committed to creating a safer space where Muslim young women and Trans people regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, sect, mode of dress, religiosity, sexual orientation, gender identity, class, ability can feel comfortable.

Making Noise! Media Project is sponsored by the Urban Alliance on Race Relations, Our Collective Dreams: Muslim Women in Conversation About Violence, and Ontario Women’s Directorate.

Launch of video project in September at various community spaces across the GTA

NURSING RESEARCH DAY (Ryerson) - Leading Research for Health in Our Communities

2009-05-25T11:03:00.003-04:00

It's not too late to register for:

The Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing 2nd Annual Research Day:

Leading Research for Health in Our Communities
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
Ryerson University, Toronto ON
Registration Deadline:
Early-bird reduced rate - May 30, 2009
Regular rate - June 15, 2009

The goal of this conference is to provide a venue for sharing research findings and fostering exchange of ideas relevant to enhancing health in our communities. Dialogue and debate will centre on current priority issues, crossing sectoral boundaries, and addressing barriers to health within diverse communities, to advance health research for policy and practice.

Keynote Speaker:

Dr. Marilyn Ford Gilboe

TR Meighen Family Foundation Community Nursing Professor
Chair of Graduate Programs, School of Nursing, University of Western Ontario

Featured panelists:
Dr. Colleen Varcoe
School of Nursing, University of British Columbia

Dr. Judith Wuest
Faculty of Nursing, University of New Brunswick

Co-sponsored by The Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing, Ryerson University and
Lambda Pi-at-Large Chapter, Sigma Theta Tau International

Conference will be preceded by:
Program Evaluation Workshop
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009, 1:30pm-4:30pm
Facilitated by Dr. Souraya Sidani
Canada Research Chair, Tier 1 and Director of the Health Intervention Research Centre, Ryerson University

To register, please complete attached registration form and send to
nursing.researchday[at]ryerson.ca

For more information, please visit our website
http://www.ryerson.ca/nursing/

Or contact: Daphne Paszterko, dpaszter[at]ryerson.ca, 416-979-5000 x7076

POST-DOC TRAINING PROGRAM (Centre for Research in Inner City Health, Toronto) - Call for Applications

2009-05-25T09:48:00.001-04:00

2009 Post-Doctoral Fellowships in Health Equity Research: Call for Applications
Toronto, Ontario
Deadline June 15, 2009

A new CIHR Strategic Training Program in Health Research

The ACHIEVE Research Partnership: Action for Health Equity Interventions

Deadline: June 15, 2009 (First application review).

Note: In consideration of the short timeline associated with this start-up year of funding, late applications will be accepted and reviewed until July 15, 2009 or until all positions are filled.

In September 2009, the Centre for Research on Inner City Health (http://www.crich.ca) at St. Michaels Hospital (A University of Toronto teaching hospital) will launch a new post-doctoral training program focused on interventions research and partner-engaged research to reduce inner city health disparities. 4-6 Fellows will be admitted annually.

Post-Doctoral Fellowships Information
Eligibility Requirement: PhD and/or MD completion. For MDs applicants, additional completion of Masters level (or PhD) degreei s preferred, to ensure the candidate has advanced research skills. However, ACHIEVE also aims to build capacity related to interventions research for marginalized populations. In the absence of advanced research training among MD applicants, practical experience with marginalized populations will be strongly considered.

Term: September, 2009 - August 2011
Stipend: up to $50,000 per year, for two years

Location: Based at Centre for Research on Inner City Health (Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michaels Hospital), and Agency Partner Locations

Fellows are required to complete all training program components within the two years. (See curriculum outline below).

The Training Program must be notified of all other awards that are held or obtained during the fellowship period. Top-ups will be allowed up to the maximum allowed by CIHR.

How to Apply

1. Cover Letter

Describe your research interests and professionals goals & specifically how these would be advanced through participation in the ACHIEVE Research Partnership and engagement in the ACHIEVE curriculum;
Describe your research and/or practical experience related to the needs of marginalized populations and/or urban health inequities;
Proposed ACHIEVE Mentor -- whom you wish to work with, and why. (Faculty list is below)
Proposed linkages to Agency Partner(s) (optional)
At least three written references. One letter should be written by the thesis supervisor or current research mentor/supervisor. It is encouraged that one letter of reference should be written by a representative of a community-based agency and/or policy-maker organization. Letters of reference should speak about the suitability of the applicant for this program considering the focus on interventions research, community and partner engagement, methodological innovations, and research linked to practical change.

2. CV

3. Two (2) writing samples

4. Transcripts (including undergraduate work) -- copies acceptable.

Mailing Address:Courier Address:

CIHR ACHIEVE Research Partnership
c/o Brigette WilliamsCenter for Research on Inner City Health
Center for Research on Inner City Health
70 Richmond Street East, 4th Floor
St. Michaels Hospital
Toronto, ON M5C 1N8

30 Bond Street
Tel: 416-864-6060 x2528
Toronto, Ontario M5B 1W8
Fax: 416-864-5485
Email: WilliamsBr[at]smh.toronto.on.ca

About the Program

Note: Funding to launch the ACHIEVE Research Partnership was announced in April 2009.

Our website will not be available until Summer 2009. For more information about the program, please read the document attached. For more information contact Kelly Murphy at
murphyke[at]smh.toronto.on.ca/416-864-6060x3379

RESOURCE - Measuring Equity of Care in Hospital Settings: From Concepts to Indicators

2009-05-22T15:07:00.002-04:00

A new resource has been released by the Centre for Research in Inner City Health at St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto that presents 10 indicators for use to measure and monitor equity in hospitals. The report can be read here: http://www.stmichaelshospital.com/pdf/crich/measuring_equity.pdf

Introduction from the Executive Summary:

The province of Ontario has identified the need to address inequities in health
care (Rachlis, 2007). In 2009, the Toronto Central Local Health Integration
Network (TC-LHIN) required hospitals to begin reporting on equity initiatives.
Despite increasing interest, measuring equity in hospitals is a relatively new
practice in Canada. Knowledge of indicators best suited for assessing equity in
hospitals, including how best to measure and take action relative to these
indicators, is only just developing.

The Centre for Research on Inner City Health (CRICH) at St. Michael’s Hospital
partnered with the Hospital Collaborative on Marginalized Populations in the
TC-LHINto complete a review of scholarly and grey literature concerning existing
approaches for measuring equity of care in the hospital setting.

WORKSHOP - Job Search for Internationally Trained Medical Professionals (June 2-4, 2009)

2009-05-22T10:24:00.002-04:00

Job Search Workshop for Medical Professionals, June 2nd, 3rd and 4th, 2009

Are any of your clients internationally trained? If so, then they will benefit from our specialized three-day Job Search Workshop for Medical Professionals, taking place June 2nd, 3rd & 4th, 2009.

This intensive pre-employment workshop provides the information clients need to become job ready. After the workshop, each client will receive a minimum of three months of individualized support from an employment counsellor. A workshop flyer is attached.

This workshop is focused exclusively on the field of medicine. It covers job search skills for the Canadian market and for specific medical professions. Clients will:

Learn more about Canadian Medical professional designations
Understand the types of medical jobs available in Canada and where to find them
Prepare a professional resume and cover letter
Find out how to work with medical recruiters
Prepare for job interviews, and
Develop a job search strategy tailored for their field and needs

Guest speakers will include representatives from employment leaders and academic experts in the field, as well as employment counsellors with extensive experience working with internationally trained medical professionals.

The workshop will be held June 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, 2009 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at CultureLink Settlement Services, 2340 Dundas St. West, Suite 301 M6P 4A9. For more information, or to register clients for this workshop, please call the CultureLink Job Search Workshop at 416-588-6288 x213 or email lkrowiak[at]culturelink.net. Spaces are limited.

**Please note: This workshop is open to Landed Immigrants/ Permanent Residents and Convention Refugees**

Orientation Sessions (Toronto) - Neighbours, Friends and Family

2009-05-22T10:15:00.001-04:00

From Settlement At Work listserv:

Neighbours, Friends and Family: Invitation to GTA Orientation Sessions
http://atwork.settlement.org/sys/atwork_whatshappen_detail.asp?anno_id=2008260

In partnership with the Centre for Research and Education on Violence against Women and Children at the University of Western Ontario, OCASI invites immigrant-serving organizations to an orientation session on the Neighbours, Friends and Family: Diverse Communities Project.

NFF is a province-wide public education campaign run by the Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children, to raise awareness of the signs of woman abuse so that those close to an at-risk woman or an abusive man can help.

Register now for sessions in the GTA.
Sessions will run from 1:00 - 5:00 except in York Region, which will run from 12:30 - 4:30.

To register, please click on the link above.
Rexdale May 19
Scarborough May 20
Peel Region/Mississauga June 9
Durham Region/Ajax June 10
York Region/Vaughan June 11

OCASI invites managers, directors, volunteers and frontline workers in immigrant-serving agencies register for a session. The objective of the day will be to create awareness of the NFF campaign and to begin exploring whether agencies might find the campaign useful in their own communities. Participants are encouraged to invite members in their community or other service organizations interested in issues related to violence against women who they would like to work with in the future.

If interested but unable to attend, please contact Linda Rosenbaum at lrosenbaum[at]ocasi.org or (416) 322-4950 ext. 354 to discuss other ways to participate in the project.

For more information please visit the project page on the OCASI website.

REPORT (Public Health Agency of Canada) Report on the State of Public Health in Canada 2008: Addressing Health Inequalities

2009-05-22T09:44:00.003-04:00

http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/2008/cphorsphc-respcacsp/pdf/CPHO-Report-e.pdf

This is the first annual report of the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, Dr. David Butler-Jones, "exploring the public health approach, the health of the Canadian population, variances in health among the population and factors that contribute to health inequalities" (page 19).

Though there is no critical exploration of the role of racialization, the report offers an interesting overview of some current and historical public health initiatives in Canada.