Joint Working Group on the Social Determinants of Health

Purpose

To foster improvements in social inequities in health for the population of Ontario, applying the following strategic approaches:

  1. Promoting the inclusion of activities to address the social and economic determinants of health within the mandate of local public health units in Ontario;
  2. Identifying, recommending and supporting the provincial advocacy efforts of alPHa and OPHA for improvements in inequities in health; and
  3. Monitoring advocacy efforts and policy changes at the provincial and national level that impact inequities in health.

Objectives

The group will give priority to strengthening practice in relation to taking action on social determinants of health. Example activities include:

  • Participating in provincial processes and helping to shape the implementation of the Ontario Public Health Standards (OPHS);
  • Developing and reviewing key directions impacting public health;
  • Encouraging public health units and the three associated provincial ministries – Health and Long-term Care, Health Promotion, and Children and Youth Services - to use a social determinants of health lens for the development of public health policy and programming..

Activities

Our priorities for the 2010-2011 include activities to support and inform local public health action to:

  • Reduce social inequities in health;
  • Encourage the identification and removal of barriers to disaggregation of data and data sharing;
  • Identify and support advocacy initiatives related to the determinants of health.

Recent activities include:

  • Monitoring the progress on the Poverty Reduction Strategy and offering public health advice to the Strategy;
  • Making recommendations to government regarding public health role in poverty reduction;
  • Sharing information among public health units and professionals through a newsletter. View previous issues.