Canadian Social Research Links

Health : Canada/International Links

Sites de recherche sociale au Canada

Santé : Liens canadiens et internationaux

Updated June 6, 2010
Page révisée le 6 juin 2010

[ Go to Canadian Social Research Links Home Page ]


This page is about health issues and health programs in a social policy context, as opposed to a medical context, and it does not cover health funding.
For medical links (e.g., support groups and info sites for specific diseases or conditions) try doing a Google.ca search using specific key words.
For links to info concerning federal contributions to provincial-territorial heath care costs and fiscal imbalance between the two levels of government, go to the Canadian Social Research Links Medicare Debate in Canada Links page



Jump directly to the U.S. - International section of this page

(further down on this page)
---
NOTE: For links to info about the
U.S. health care reform initiative,

See this special section of the U.S. Govt. links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/us.htm#health_care_reform


 

 

The Federal Government section of Canadian Social Research Links comprises several separate pages of links : 
- Federal Government Links - sites of general interest (to social researchers), e.g., government information or research sites; also includes links to directories of federal programs and services for specific target groups like youth and seniors 

- Federal Departments and Agencies (two pages) - links to the websites of almost two dozen federal departments and agencies involved with social programs (includes links to selected content on each of those sites) 

*** Page 1. Agriculture and Agri-Food to Finance
*** Page 2 Fisheries and Oceans to Veterans Affairs
- Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) - info about Old Age Security, the Canada Pension Plan, Employment Insurance and other social programs - and where I worked... 

- Health Links - Canada/International - info about Health Canada and related links from the U.S. and elsewhere in the world
- Employment Insurance in Canada - selected reports and other related links

----------------------

NOTE:
My apologies for the general state of disarray on this page.
May 28, 2010
Gilles


Provincial Government Health Ministries
British Columbia - Alberta - Saskatchewan - Manitoba - Ontario - Québec - New Brunswick - Nova Scotia - Prince Edward Island - Newfoundland and Labrador - Northwest Territories - Yukon - Nunavut

---------------------------

Health Council of Canada
"Created in December 2003, as a result of the 2003 First Ministers' Health Accord, and following the recommendations of the Romanow and Kirby Reports, the Health Council of Canada is mandated to monitor and report on the progress of health care renewal in Canada."


Comparison of Canadian and American health care systems

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Government and private health and pub
NOTE:
1. Click "External Links" on the Wikipedia page for comparisons of several aspects of health insurance in Canada and the U.S. (e.g. insurance coverage, wait times)
2. Click "References"on the Wikipedia page for a collection of links to dozens and dozens of free online resources.



NEW

New from The Daily:
[Statistics Canada]

Health Fact Sheets
June 3, 2010
The Health Fact Sheet publication features short informative articles on interesting health topics from various health data sources.
Click the link above to access the fact sheets below.

* From the Canadian Health Measures Survey:
--- Aerobic fitness in Canada 2007 to 2009
--- Body composition of Canadian adults 2007 to 2009
--- Body mass index (BMI) for children and youth 2007 to 2009
--- Heart health and cholesterol levels of Canadians 2007 to 2009
--- Lung function results 2007 to 2009
--- Musculoskeletal fitness in Canada 2007 to 2009
--- Oral health: Edentulous people in Canada 2007 to 2009
--- Vitamin D status of Canadians 2007 to 2009
* From the Canadian Community Health Survey:
--- Adults who are overweight or obese 2008
--- Arthritis 2008
--- Asthma 2008
--- Diabetes 2008
--- Exposure to second-hand smoke at home 2008
--- Fruit and vegetable consumption 2008
--- Having a regular medical doctor 2008
--- Heavy drinking 2008
--- High blood pressure 2008
--- Household food insecurity, 2007–2008
--- Influenza immunization 2008
--- Life satisfaction 2008
--- Mood disorders 2008
--- Perceived life stress 2008
--- Physical activity during leisure time 2008
--- Smoking 2008
Source:
Health Fact Sheets

---

Health Indicator Maps
May 27, 2010
This publication presents a series of thematic maps, including those showing the subprovincial variations for selected health indicators based on the latest data available from different data sources. Reference maps showing the boundaries of health regions in Canada are also available by province.

View a list of all reference maps - health regions and peer groups by province and territory

View a list of all thematic maps - over three dozen themes, from Adults who are obese by health region to Smoking by health region, Vital Statistics - Birth Database, Low Birth Weight by health region, etc.

[ earlier editions of this report ]
[ related articles and links to maps ]
[ Health Indicator Maps Main Page ]
[ Health Indicators Main Page]

Source:
Health Indicators
This publication, produced jointly by Statistics Canada and the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), is a compilation of over 80 indicators measuring health status, non-medical determinants of health, health–system performance and community and health-system characteristics.

See also:
Health in Canada --- all StatCan health reports in one location
Health Reports Available from Statistics Canada (from Stats by Subject)

---------------------

New from the
Canadian Institute for Health Information:
(from the "Dog-Bites-Man" series?)

Heart attacks more likely among lower-income groups,
but quality of care about the same for all Canadians

Variations in heart attack and hysterectomy rates much
greater by region than by socio-economic status

News Release
May 27, 2010
Canadians living in the least-affluent neighbourhoods are more likely to have a heart attack than those in more-affluent areas, according to a new report released today by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). Canadians living in low-income neighbourhoods have higher rates of hypertension, diabetes, smoking and other cardiac risk factors. However, heart attack patients receive about the same quality of care across the country, regardless of their socio-economic status. The report, Health Indicators 2010, provides more than 40 measures of health and health system performance in Canada for larger health regions, provinces and territories.

Complete report:

Health Indicators 2010
May 2010
HTML version - incl. table of contents (see below) and links to individual sections
PDF version (PDF - 1.7MB, 105 pages)

Table of contents:
* Executive Summary
* Health Indicator Framework
* In Focus: Measuring Disparities in the Health System
--- Heart Attacks and Disparities
--- Hysterectomies and Disparities
--- Concluding Remarks
* Information Gaps
--- References
* Health Indicators: Region by Region
--- Health Region Profile
--- Health Status
--- Equity
--- Non-Medical Determinants of Health
--- Health System Performance
--- Community and Health System Characteristics
--- Appendix
--- Indicator Index
* Regional Map

Companion Products

* Health Indicators e-publication
* Technical Notes

Source:
Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)
CIHI collects and analyzes information on health and health care in Canada and makes it publicly available. Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial governments created CIHI as a not-for-profit, independent organization dedicated to forging a common approach to Canadian health information.

< Begin Snide addendum by Gilles:>

COMING SOON:
"20-Yr Longitudinal Study Finds that Canadians
are Better Rich and Healthy than Poor and Sick!"

< /End Snide addendum by Gilles.>

[ Earlier editions of Health Indicators - back to 2002 ]

York University health researchers
produce public primer on who gets sick and why
(PDF - 19K, 2 pages)
TORONTO, April 28, 2010 – A report released today by York University health researchers offers Canadians the opportunity to learn how their living conditions will determine whether they stay healthy or become ill. Social Determinants of Health: The Canadian Facts shows why these factors are so important for health and documents the state of these living conditions in Canada in an accessible manner for the Canadian public.

Summary

Complete report:

Social Determinants of Health:
The Canadian Facts
(PDF - 3.7MB, 63 pages)
April 2010
By Juha Mikkonen and Dennis Raphael
(...)Improving the health of Canadians requires we think about health and its determinants in a more sophisticated manner than has been the case to date.
Social Determinants of Health: The Canadian Facts considers 14 social determinants of health:
1. Income and Income Distribution
2. Education
3. Unemployment and Job Security
4. Employment and Working Conditions
5. Early Childhood Development
6. Food Insecurity
7. Housing
8. Social Exclusion
9. Social Safety Network
10. Health Services
11. Aboriginal Status
12. Gender
13. Race
14. Disability
The publication outlines why they are important; how Canada is doing in addressing them; and what can be done to improve their quality. The purpose of the document is to provide promote greater awareness of the social determinants of health and the development and implementation of public policies that improve their quality.

Source:
York University School of Health Policy & Management (Toronto)

Income-related differences in
mortality among people with diabetes mellitus

Lorraine L. Lipscombe, MD et al.
December 21, 2009
[includes an abstract and a link to the full study]
Income-related differences in mortality among people with diabetes mellitusMortality declined overall among people with diabetes from 1994 to 2005; however, the decrease was substantially greater in the highest income group than in the lowest, particularly among those aged 30–64 years. These findings illustrate the increasing impact of income on the health of people with diabetes even in a publicly funded health care setting.

Complete study (PDF - 1MB, 17 pages)

Source:
Canadian Medical Association Journal

Related link:

Death rate worse for poor diabetics: Ont. report
December 21, 2009
People with diabetes in Ontario are dying prematurely less frequently, but the decline in mortality rate was smaller among those who earn less, researchers say. The study's authors found the death rate for diabetics fell by 33 per cent across the province between 1995 and 2006, after taking age and sex into account. But the group also found that a person's chances of survival with the disease improved as income increased.
Source:
CBC

NEW


These links will take you further down on the page you're now reading:
Statistics Canada Health Reports
Drug Assistance Programs and Expenditures in Canada
Health Care in Canada reports
(Canadian Institute for Health Information)
Call for a National Autism Strategy
The Health of Canadians - December 2006 (from the Canadian Council on Social Development)


Aboriginal Children’s Health: Leaving No Child Behind:
The Canadian Supplement to State of the World’s Children 2009
* Complete report (PDF - 6.6MB, 61 pages)
* Summary (PDF - 379K, 4 pages)
* Highlights (HTML)

News Release:
UNICEF Canada Report on Aboriginal Children’s Health Shows Disparities
Between Aboriginal Children and National Averages a Major Children’s Right Challenge

Health of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Children Well Below National Averages
June 24, 2009
Toronto - UNICEF Canada is marking the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child with the release today of a report called Aboriginal Children’s Health: Leaving No Child Behind- the Canadian Supplement to State of the World’s Children 2009. UNICEF Canada partnered with the National Collaborating Centre on Aboriginal Health to produce the report, which examines the health of Aboriginal children in Canada through the perspectives of national experts and analysis of existing data. The report concludes that health disparities between First Nations, Inuit and Métis children relative to national averages is one of the most significant children’s rights challenges facing our nation.

[ Other UNICEF Canada Publications ]

Source:
UNICEF Canada
Since 1955, UNICEF Canada has grown into a recognized national symbol for the world’s children and the most visible United Nations presence across the country. UNICEF Canada’s mandate is to raise funds in support of UNICEF’s work for children in more than 150 countries and territories and build awareness among Canadians about the issues facing the world’s children.

Related link:

Aboriginal children's health below national averages: UNICEF
By Amy Minsky, Canwest News Service
The infant mortality rate across Canadian First Nations reserves is up to seven times higher than among the general population, according to a report released Wednesday from UNICEF Canada. And between 2002 and 2006, the tuberculosis rate among the Inuit was 90 times higher than in the non-Aboriginal population in Canada, the study said. The report's authors said this disparity is a symptom of a larger problem — not all Canadian children are treated equally when it comes to health care.
Source:
Canada.com

---

Related link from UNICEF:

The State of the World’s Children, 2009:
Maternal and Newborn Health

January 2009
"The State of the World's Children 2009 examines critical issues in maternal and newborn health, underscoring the need to establish a comprehensive continuum of care for mothers, newborns and children. The report outlines the latest paradigms in health programming and policies for mothers and newborns, and explores policies, programmes and partnerships aimed at improving maternal and neonatal health. Africa and Asia are a key focus for this report, which complements the previous year's issue on child survival."

[ Previous editions of The State of the World's Children reports - back to 1996]

Source:
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.



Report on the State of Public Health in Canada 2008
HTML version
PDF version
- 101 pages
Inequalities in health status are partially due to social and economic factors that influence health behaviours and health outcomes.
Socio-economic and personal factors profiled within this report include: * income * employment and working conditions * food security * environment and housing * early childhood development * education and literacy * social support systems * health behaviours * access to health care.

Executive summary (HTML)
Report-At-A-Glance (PDF - 1.4MB, 16 pages)

Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Targets Health Inequalities in First Annual Report
News Release
June 18, 2008
OTTAWA — Today the first annual report of the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, Dr. David Butler-Jones, was tabled in Parliament by Steven Fletcher, MP for Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia and Parliamentary Secretary for Health, on behalf of the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Health. The report is an assessment of the state of public health in Canada, and was prepared to take a broad look at the overall health of Canadians as well as disparities in health and other issues.

-------------

Excerpt from the Income section of the report:
"(...) While there is some debate as to how to measure poverty, and in the absence of a consistent national definition, this report uses the after-tax low-income cut-off (LICO). LICO is a reference point for the income level at which an individual or families may find it difficult to meet their basic needs.213 Poverty, however, is more complex than just lack of money (material poverty). It also includes social poverty (or the ability to be a part of society). This is particularly relevant considering the long-term impacts on children growing up in poverty."

--------------

Source:
Public Health Agency of Canada

Related link:

Reducing child poverty urged as health priority
June 20, 2008
By Joanna Smith
Ottawa–Reducing child poverty will benefit the health of all Canadians, the country's chief public health officer recommended in his first annual report on the physical and mental well-being of the population. "Every dollar spent in ensuring a healthy start in the early years will reduce the long-term costs associated with health care, addictions, crime, unemployment and welfare," Dr. David Butler-Jones wrote in his report on the state of public health in Canada.
Source
The Toronto Star


New from the Office of the Auditor General of Canada:

Reporting on Health Indicators—Health Canada
December 2008
In 2000, the Government of Canada and provincial and territorial governments reached an historic agreement on health that set out a vision, principles, and an action plan for health system renewal. The First Ministers' commitments on health also called for improvements in accountability and reporting to Canadians and directed federal, provincial, and territorial health ministers to develop indicators that could be compared across jurisdictions and over time to measure progress on renewal. All jurisdictions later committed to public reporting every two years on a number of health indicators—for example, wait times and patient satisfaction with health services. First Ministers' agreements in 2003 and 2004 further reiterated reporting requirements.

News Release:
Report on health indicators is of limited value to Canadians
(Chapter 8—Reporting on Health Indicators—Health Canada - December 2008 Report of the Auditor General)
February 5, 2009
Health Canada has published health indicator reports as a result of commitments made by First Ministers in 2000, 2003, and 2004, says the Auditor General of Canada, Sheila Fraser, in her Report tabled today in the House of Commons. However, these reports do not meet the broader intent of providing Canadians with information on the progress of health care renewal.

Source:
2008 December Report of the Auditor General of Canada
February 5, 2009
[ Office of the Auditor General of Canada ]


Poverty is making us sick : A comprehensive survey
of income and health in Canada
(PDF - 522K, 39 pages)
By Ernie Lightman Ph.D, Andrew Mitchell and Beth Wilson
December 2008
"(...) the poorest one-fifth of Canadians, when compared to the richest twenty percent, have:
• more than double the rate of diabetes and heart disease;
• a sixty percent greater rate of two or more chronic health conditions;
• more than three times the rate of bronchitis;
• nearly double the rate of arthritis or rheumatism."
Source:
Partners in this report include:
Social Assistance in the New Economy
Wellesley Institute
Community Social Planning Council of Toronto

Related Toronto Star article:

Higher pay, better health
December 2, 2008
By Laurie Monsebraaten
Poverty is making Canadians sick, robbing thousands of their health and creating huge costs to the public health-care system, says a new report to be released today. But boosting incomes of the poor – even by $1,000 per year – can lead to significant health improvements, says the report by the University of Toronto's Social Assistance in the New Economy program. (...) The study, based on the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey, found that every $1,000 increase in income for the poor resulted in nearly 10,000 fewer chronic health care problems.
Source:
healthzone.ca
[ part of the Toronto Star ]

Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada - the Romanow Commission, incl. the final report (Nov/02), all discussion papers and summary reports by the Commission
[NOTE: the Resources/Research page alone is worth a visit just to see the excellent collection of health research info!]

Pandemic Planning and Homelessness Research Network
As an extension of the Homeless Hub, this network allows people who are interested in homelessness and pandemic planning to come together in a collaborative on-line environment. This dynamic website features a library of resources and documents from governments and community agencies that can be accessed from one user-friendly site. Researchers, service providers, government officials and others are invited to share information and documents, participate in discussion forums, and collaborate on strategies to minimize the likelihood and impact of the spread of infectious disease among people who are homeless. To join, simply visit http://homelesshub.apps01.yorku.ca/network/cphrt, register and request membership. Once your membership has been confirmed, you will gain access to a large collection of pandemic plans, community documents, research articles, guides and best practices, and news articles from Canada and around the world.
For further information please contact Kristy Buccieri at kristy_buccieri@edu.yorku.ca

Source:
The Homeless Hub
[ www.homelesshub.net/ ]
This site is a supplement to the www.homelesshub.ca site and encourage as much online collaboration, networking and information-sharing among stakeholders doing work on homelessness and poverty-related issues as possible.


Health Canada Home Page

A-Z Index

What's new - this link takes you to the Health Canada home page; the latest news releases are in the centre column of the page

Health Care System
Canada's Health Care System (Medicare)
Commissions & Inquiries
eHealth
Health Care System Delivery
Health Human Resources
Home & Continuing Care
Hospital Care
Nursing Policy
Palliative & End-of-Life Care
Pharmaceuticals
Primary Health Care
Quality of Care
Funding
Legislation & Guidelines
Reports & Publications

THE CANADA HEALTH ACT : OVERVIEW AND OPTIONS
Odette Madore
Economics Division
Revised 13 January 2000
"This document gives an overview of the Canada Health Act. It does not set out to offer a legal interpretation of the Act; rather, it seeks to take stock of the evolution of the way it is implemented and examine its future prospects. The first section reviews the justifications for government intervention in the health care sector, while the second describes the respective roles of the federal government and the provinces. The third section traces the historical background of the Act, and the fourth presents an overview of the requirements attached to it. In the fifth section, penalties for defaults under the Act are described, and in the sixth and final section, some options are set out for maintaining the Act or improving it."
Source:
Parliamentary Research Branch (Library of Parliament)


What's new from Health Canada (August 2007):

Canadian Community Health Survey, Cycle 2.2, Nutrition (2004):
Income-Related Household Food Security in Canada

HTML version
PDF version
- 2.9MB, 124 pages
The Office of Nutrition Policy and Promotion, Health Canada, is pleased to release Canadian Community Health Survey, Cycle 2.2, Nutrition (2004)—Income-Related Household Food Security in Canada. This report provides, for the first time in Canada, national and provincial estimates of income-related food security at the household, adult and child level based on a standard multiple-indicator measure of food security. This report will be of value to policy analysts, public health professionals, researchers, academic faculty and students with an interest in nutrition and healthy eating, social determinants of health and population health.
Source:
Canadian Community Health Survey
The Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) initiative began in 2000 with its main goals being the provision of population-level information on health determinants, health status and health system utilization. This series of surveys is a joint effort of Health Canada, Statistics Canada and the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)

Related Health Canada links:

Office of Nutrition Policy and Promotion
Topics of Interest:
* Canada's Food Guide * Dietary Reference Intakes * Healthy Weights * Nutrition Labelling * Food & Nutrition Surveillance * Healthy Eating Research * Nutrition Policy Reports

Related external links:

Canadian Community Health Survey - Nutrition (from Statistics Canada)
Canadian Institute for Health Information

Canada-U.S. context:

Food Insecurity in Canada and the United States:
An International Comparison
(PDF file - 315K, 33 pages)
May 2007
"(...) The higher overall prevalence of food insecurity in the U.S. reflects primarily higher prevalence rates in the lower-middle, middle, and upper-middle income adequacy categories—corresponding to incomes ranging from the U.S. poverty line to about three times the U.S. poverty line. (...) Food insecurity is more strongly associated with lower educational attainment in the U.S. than in Canada. In particular, among households lacking an adult with at least secondary (i.e., high school) graduation, food insecurity is about twice as prevalent in the U.S. as in Canada."
Source:
New York City Coalition Against Hunger (NYCCAH)
See also:
- Top 10 myths about Food Stamps
- 1.3 million New Yorkers (one in six) live in food insecure households. 417,000 of them are children.

Healthy Canadians
A Federal Report on Comparable Health Indicators 2004
Table of Contents: Executive Summary - Introduction - Overview of the Federal Government's Role in Health - Measuring Performance - Health Information: Challenges and Next Steps - Statement of Responsibility - Auditor's Report - Annexes (List of 18 Featured Indicators * Data Tables for the 18 Featured Indicators * List of 70 Indicators * Data Source Exclusions and Limitations
HTML version
PDF version (4.5MB, 94 pages)
Source:
Health Canada


New Ingredients for the Health Care Mix (PDF - 35K, 3 pages)
By Sherri Torjman
September 2009
As the aging population puts more pressure on scarce resources, the debates as to who gets selected for essential health care services will become increasingly contentious. The typical response is to look for ways to reform health care in order to ration services more efficiently. Another answer is to shore up the supply of nurses. This paper argues for additional supports for the estimated three million informal caregivers in Canada . Options include greater provision of home supports and workplace policies that allow flexibility for elder care. Another possibility involves the development of secondary suites, an affordable housing option that enables the provision of care at home. The paper argues that urban design makes an important policy contribution to our social challenges.
Source:
Caledon Institute of Social Policy
The Caledon Institute of Social Policy does rigorous, high-quality research and analysis; seeks to inform and influence public opinion and to foster public discussion on poverty and social policy; and develops and promotes concrete, practicable proposals for the reform of social programs at all levels of government and of social benefits provided by employers and the voluntary sector.



Mental health

Breakdown:
Canada's Mental Health Crisis

A Globe and Mail Special Report
[Eight-day series starting June 19, 2008]

"(...)One in five Canadians will experience a mental illness in his or her lifetime. It is a pervasive presence in almost all of our lives. And yet we rarely speak of it. There is no better time to start than now. Over the next eight days, The Globe and Mail and globeandmail.com will introduce you to a series of utterly compelling Canadians — people just like you and me — who are struggling with mental illnesses. In a landmark series called Breakdown, the subjects of our stories will invite you deep into their lives. Their stories, told with empathy and intelligence, will sweep away the myths around mental illness.(..) We will also explain how public policies are failing when it comes to mental illness. And we will take you to Scotland, a place that has risen to the challenge and has much to teach the rest of the world."
(Excerpt from Editor's Note )

- links to over two dozen articles and other valuable resources, including an excellent list of links to mental health resources by province and territory and to general resources on mental health.

Source:
The Globe and Mail

 

Health Council of Canada
"The Health Council of Canada is mandated to monitor and report on the progress of health care renewal in Canada."

Health Council of Canada report calls for early, ongoing action
to tackle trouble spots in kids’ health
(PDF file 67K, 2 pages)
News Release
WINNIPEG, JUNE 22, 2006 – While the health of Canada’s children and youth is generally good, especially by global standards, there are serious trouble spots within this population that require strategic, immediate and sustained attention, the Health Council of Canada said in a report released today. The report, Their Future Is Now: Healthy Choices for Canada’s Children & Youth, says many of those
problems are in fact preventable – if we act now. The report looks broadly across child health issues, from immunization and obesity risks to mental health and crime prevention, reviews government commitments to improve child health, highlights effective regional programs and the ingredients key to their success, and offers advice for future action.

Backgrounder (PDF file - 51K, 1 page)

Complete report:

Their Future Is Now: Healthy Choices
for Canada’s Children and Youth
(2.5MB, 52 pages)
June 2006

Toronto Star op-ed:
Help children do their best
June 21
Dr. Nuala Kenny, chair of the Health Council of Canada’s working group which created Their Future Is Now: Healthy Choices for Canada’s Children & Youth, penned this op-ed piece for the Toronto Star.


Public Health Agency of Canada
- incl. links to : About the Agency - Media Room - Chronic Diseases - Emergency Preparedness - Health Promotion - Immunization - Infectious Diseases - Injury Prevention - Surveillance - Travel - Health - Quick Links - Centres and Labs - Publications - Guidelines - A-Z Index - Child Health - Adult Health - Seniors' Health - Surveillance - Health Canada

New Website On The Social Determinants Of Health
The Public Health Agency of Canada has launched a new web site related to Canada’s work in the World Health Organization’s Commission on the Social Determinants of Health. It provides information on the Canadian reference group, on the work of the Agency with governments of other countries to develop policy frameworks to address the determinants of health inequalities, and links to WHO knowledge networks and other resources.
Source of this info:
Wellesley Institute Blog

Related link:

Canada's Response to WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health [NOTE : See the WHO link below.]
"(...)To address the problem of growing health inequities between and within countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) created a WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) Opens in a new window in March 2005, chaired by Professor Sir Michael Marmot. The WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH), over a three year period (2005-2008), aims to lever policy change by compiling evidence on the science and action on social determinants of health, widening debate on the topic and proposing national and global policies for action. With Canada's Commissioner, the Honourable Monique Bégin Opens in a new window on board, it is an excellent opportunity for Canada to further the development of policies that reduce health disparities and improve the health and well-being of Canadians as well as people across the globe."
- incl. links to : * WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health * Some Recent Activities of Canada’s Commissioner Monique Bégin * Canadian Reference Group (CRG) * Knowledge Networks
* Country Action * What's New * Frequently Asked Questions * Events * Resources * Glossary * Links
Source:
Public Health Agency of Canada

***

From the World Health Organization:

Inequities are killing people on a "grand scale"
28 August 2008 -- Differences in mortality between - and within - countries result from the social environment where people are born, live, grow, work and age. These "social determinants of health" have been the focus of a three-year investigation. The recommendations from this investigation, released today, focus on policies to redress social equalities globally, nationally and locally.

Final Report of the
Commission on Social Determinants of Health
(main page)
- includes links to the news release, backgrounders, the executive summary in six languages, links to the complete report and individual chapters, streaming video of the news conference and an interview with the chair of the Commission about the report

Closing the gap in a generation : Health equity
through action on the social determinants of health

Executive summary (PDF - 4.3MB,
Complete report (PDF - 7.3MB, 256 pages)
NOTE: See "The report in sections" on the main page for links to the individual chapters of the report in PDF format

News Release - August 28, 2008

Other publications of the
Commission on Social Determinants of Health

Related links:

The Commission on Social Determinants of Health - what, why and how?
(This link is dead, but I decided to leave the text here for historical purposes.)
The Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) is a global network of policy makers, researchers and civil society organizations1 brought together by the World Health Organization (WHO) to give support in tackling the social causes of poor health and avoidable health inequalities (health inequities).

NOTE: One the Commission members is Monique Bégin, currently Professor at the School of Management, University of Ottawa, Canada, and former Minister of National Health and Welfare.
On the Comments from Commissioners page, Madame Bégin notes: "Canada likes to brag that for seven years in a row the United Nations voted us "the best country in the world in which to live". Do all Canadians share equally in that great quality of life? No they don't. The truth is that our country is so wealthy that it manages to mask the reality of food banks in our cities, of unacceptable housing (1 in 5), of young Inuit adults very high suicide rates. This report is a wake up call for action towards truly living up to our reputation."

Source:
World Health Organization (WHO)
WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.

-----------------------

Also found on The Wellesley Institute Blog:

United Kingdom:
Tackling health inequalities: 2007 Status Report on the Programme for Action

March 13, 2008
The status report provides a review of developments against the data since the publication of the Programme for Action in 2003. It considers progress against the Public Service Agreement (PSA) target, the national headline indicators and against government commitments.

Complete report:

From the U.K. Department of Health:

* Tackling health inequalities: 2007 Status Report on the Programme for Action (PDF file - 2.2MB, 111 pages)
* Tackling health inequalities: 2005 Status report on the Programme for Action
* Tackling health inequalities: 2003-05 data update for the national 2010 PSA target
* Tackling health inequalities: A Programme for Action

Closing the Gap
The European Commission has initiated a major project – Closing the Gap: Strategies for Action to Tackle Health Inequalities – to address health disparities.
They have created a European Health Inequalities Portal with links to relevant agencies and networks, a database of best practices and country specific data on polices and programs.

Among their very useful and comprehensive publications are:

* a review of national policies and strategies (PDF file - 466K, 56 pages) to address health inequalities in Europe
* a similarly comprehensive review of international policy (PDF file - 543K, 80 pages), and
* a background paper for the WHO Commission (PDF file - 530K, 50 pages) on the Social Determinants of Health analyzing why previous policy has had so little impact, what lessons can be learned from this experience, and how to develop policies that will work.

-----------------------------------

Reducing Work-Life Conflict: What Works and What Doesn't
By Dr. Chris Higgins, Dr. Linda Duxbury and Sean Lyons
*October 2007
Source:
Health Canada

<begin date rant.>
* Hey, Health Canada --- how about dating your reports???
I couldn't find a single date in this entire 212-page report.
According to the Properties menu of the PDF file, this report was produced in either September or October 2007.
<end date rant.>

This is the fifth report in a series of six.

Links to the four earlier reports:
* Report One: The 2001 National Work–Life Conflict Study
* Report Two: Work–Life Conflict in Canada in the New Millennium: A Status Report
* Report Three: Exploring the Link between Work–Life Conflict and the Use of Canada’s Health Care System
* Report Four: Who Is at Risk? Predictors of High Work–Life Conflict
* Report Five: Reducing Work–Life Conflict: What Works? What Doesn’t?
Yet to come:
* Report Six : Work–Life Conflict in Canada in the New Millennium: Key Findings and Recommendations from the 2001 National Work–Life Conflict Study
Source:
Public Health Agency of Canada

For links to more work-life balance content, go to the Canadian Social Research Links Work-Life Balance page.

-----------------------------------

Complacency in Caring for Seniors is not an Option
News Release
October 26, 2006 -- The National Advisory Council on Aging (NACA) is unveiling today the results of its Seniors in Canada: 2006 Report Card at the Canadian Association on Gerontology Meeting in Quebec City. The Report Card looked at how well Canadian seniors are doing in five key areas: health status, health care system, economic situation, living conditions and participation in society. The overall grade for the five questions under study is a 'B'.

Complete report:

Seniors in Canada 2006 Report Card
HTML version
PDF version
(544K,70 pages)

Source:
National Advisory Council on Aging

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Young people in Canada: their health and well-being
October 2004
Summary (PDF file - 1.1MB, 8 pages)
Summary - HTML file
Full Document (PDF file - 2.8MB, 156 pages)
"The Health Behaviour of School-Aged Children (HBSC) Study is a cross-national study supported by the World health Organization. In Canada, the HBSC surveys have been funded by Health Canada. Young people in Canada: their health and well-being, a 136-page report, presents the findings from the three surveys conducted in Canada since 1989-90.

Source:
Public Health Agency of Canada


Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada
The Romanow Commission
Related links :
- see the Canadian Social Research Links Medicare Debate in Canada Links page

No more time to wait:
Toward benchmarks and best practices in wait time management
(PDF file - 731K, 65 pages)
March 2005
"Seven national medical organizations have united to release an interim report examining the problem of wait times for health care in Canada and to establish new benchmarks for medically acceptable wait times for care. The Wait Time Alliance of Canada (WTA) released an interim report today. The Report outlines evidence-based benchmarks for medically acceptable wait times for access to care in: heart, cancer, diagnostic imaging, joint replacement and sight restoration. The report is a direct response to the commitment made by First Ministers in September 2004 (10-Year Plan to Strengthen Health Care) to establish evidence-based benchmarks for medically acceptable wait times in the five priority areas. With the deadline fast approaching (December 31, 2005), Federal-Provincial-Territorial governments have commissioned research on this issue, but have yet to come forward with a process to develop national benchmarks."

Wait Time Alliance members:

Canadian Association of Nuclear Medicine
Canadian Association of Radiologists
Canadian Cardiovascular Society
Canadian Medical Association
Canadian Orthopaedic Association
Canadian Ophthalmological Society
Canadian Association of Radiation Oncologists

[Found on the DisAbled Women's Network - Ontario website]


Jordan's Principle, governments' paralysis
Noni MacDonald, M.D., M.Sc, and Amir Attaran, L.L.B., Ph.D.
August 14, 2007
Children are vulnerable members of our society. They are voiceless in decision-making, subject to the judgments and actions of others. First Nations people are also vulnerable — victims of ill-will and broken promises and suffering from the worst social, economic and health conditions in Canada. So imagine the unenviable situation to be a First Nations child, very sick and living on a reserve where there are minimal children's services.
Source:
Canadian Medical Association Journal
[ Canadian Medical Association ]

For related links, go to the First Nations Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/1stbkmrk.htm


Health Reports Available from Statistics Canada:
Information on the health of the population, determinants of health, and the scope and utilization of Canada’s health services.
Subtopics include :
1. Health (general)
2. Disability
3. Diseases and health conditions
4. Factors influencing health
5. Health services performance and utilization
6. Injuries
7. Measures of health
8. Mental health and well-being
9. Prevention and detection of disease
10. Find all

Featured products

1. Health (overview)
2. Health in Canada
3. Health Reports
4. Health Research Working Paper Series
5. Health Indicators
6. Canadian Social Trends
7. Teenage pregnancy: Guide to the latest information
8. Smoking: Guide to the latest information
9. Suicide: Guide to the latest information
10. Teachers and students: Learning resources for Health and Physical Education

-------------------------

Selected content from
The Daily [Statistics Canada]:

November 18, 2009
Health Reports, November 2009
The November 2009 online edition of Health Reports contains the following articles.

* Income disparities in health-adjusted life expectancy for Canadian adults, 1991 to 2001
The dramatic increase in life expectancy in Canada and other economically developed nations during the last century stands as testimony to the success of improvements in public health and advances in medical care. But despite these gains in longevity, inequalities in health outcomes across different subpopulations are still pervasive in Canada and other industrialized countries.(...) For both sexes, disparities in health-adjusted life expectancy between the highest and lowest income groups were substantially greater than those for life expectancy alone.

* Social class, gender and time use: Implications for the social determinants of body weight?
The social gradient in health refers to the consistent association between higher socioeconomic position and better health status across an array of health outcomes. The social gradient in body weight departs from this consistent pattern. Recent Canadian studies suggest that the association between income and obesity is positive for men, and curvilinear (perhaps in transition) among women. This article examines time-use patterns by indicators of socioeconomic position and considers the implications of variations in time use for the social gradient in weight reported in other studies.

* Risk factors and chronic conditions among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations
In Canada, the prevalence of behavioural risk factors and chronic conditions varies between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations, with Aboriginal people generally having less favourable outcomes. For example, obesity and overweight are more common among Aboriginal people than among other groups. Also, the likelihood of having at least one chronic condition and specifi c conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes is higher among Aboriginal people, even when differences in sociodemographic characteristics are taken into account

Source:
The Daily
[Statistics Canada]




DRUGCOVERAGE.CA

"DrugCoverage.ca is dedicated to helping Canadians access reimbursement for prescription medications by providing information on the various types of Private Insurance plans, Provincial/Territorial Drug Benefit Programs and Federal plans available in Canada."
- this site is operated by Plasmid Biocommunications Inc., a Toronto-based company specializing in programs to facilitate reimbursement for special authorization drugs; they also produce educational materials, seminars and training programs on Canadian drug reimbursement.
- extensive collection of detailed information about the federal and provincial-territorial government prescription drug plans and private plans, as well as links to provincial-territorial drug coverage program websites
- highly recommended reading!

5 (PDF file - 1.7MB, 53 pages)
Spring 2007
Drug Expenditure in Canada, 1985 to 2006 is an annual publication and provides updated information on drug expenditure trends in Canada. This publication includes: National drug expenditure; Provincial and territorial drug expenditure; International comparisons; and Factors that may affect drug expenditure. More information on drug expenditure and the methods used in the preparation of this document is available by contacting the Pharmaceuticals unit of CIHI by phone at 613-241-7860 or by email at drugs@cihi.ca

Source:
Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)

----------------------------------------------------------

Related Links:

From the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE):

How rising drug costs swallowed my health care*
October 6, 2006
"The Fraser Institute’s third annual report on the financial sustainability of provincial health insurance just found, to no-one’s surprise, that “health care financing, as it is currently structured in Canada, is not financially sustainable” and that reform is needed to increase privatization of the system. But their approach is highly faulty. It extrapolates 60 years ahead based on the recent averages and it doesn’t confront the fastest growing component of health care: the rising costs of drugs. The study simply took the most recent five-year annual average for provincial health care spending for each province and projected that rate of growth 60 years into the future. It then measured “sustainability” by comparing this to similar projections for provincial revenues and GDP. They claim that health care spending is on track to bankrupt all provinces within 60 years."
...and here's my favourite part, from the "bio notes" at the bottom of the article [Gilles]
"Toby Sanger is an economist with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (...) If he continues to gain weight at the same rate that he has over the past month, he will weigh approximately 132,735 pounds when he is 64 years old – and will weigh more than the Empire State Building if he lives to 91."
PDF version of this article (198K, 3 pages)
*NOTE: the PDF version includes a graph showing "escalating provincial spending on drugs"which doesn't appear in the HTML online version unless you click on the mysterious wavy lines beside the title of the article.

From the Canadian Health Coalition:
["The Canadian Health Coalition is a public advocacy organization dedicated to the preservation and improvement of Medicare. Our membership is comprised of national organizations representing nurses, health care workers, seniors, churches, anti-poverty, women and trade unions as well as affiliated coalitions in 9 provinces and one territory."]

National Pharmaceutical Strategy:
Where’s the Federal Government?
Press Release
September 21, 2006
(Ottawa) - The Canadian Health Coalition today welcomed the Progress Report on the National Pharmaceutical Strategy (NPS). The Strategy to improve pharmaceutical management will lead to more equitable access, better health outcomes and better value for money spent on drug therapy.

Progress Report on the National Pharmaceutical Strategy
June 2006
* English version (PDF file - 1.3MB, 48 pages)
* Version française (PDF file - 1.4MB, 57 pages)

Drug Expense Coverage in the Canadian Population:
Protection from Severe Drug Expenses
(PDF file - 3.6MB, 56 pages)
[ version française - 3,8Mo.]
August 2002

Source:
Drug Insurance Research
"In August 2002, the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association published Protection from Severe Drug Expenses, a study carried out by Fraser Group and Tristat Resources (Richard Shillington). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the extent to which Canadians are protected by their public and private sector drug programs from severe drug expense. This research was presented to the Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology and was cited extensively in their final report on the The Health of Canadians - The Federal Role
[Fraser Group ]
"Fraser Group's business is research, analysis and marketing information for financial service organizations. Our area of greatest expertise is the employee benefits sector including the group life and health and the group pension and retirement markets.")

Related Link from the Fraser Group:

Canadians' Access to Insurance for Prescription Medicines
Executive Summary (81 kb) - [ version française ]
Volume 1: Range and Extent of Coverage (2633 kb)
Volume 2: The Un-Insured and Under-Insured (1874 kb)
"In March 2000, Health Canada published Canadians' Access to Insurance for Prescription Medicines, the results of a study carried out by Fraser Group in collaboration with two other companies, Applied Management and Tristat Resources. The purpose of this study was to assess the level of drug insurance available to Canadians."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Privatization of Health Care in Canada

P3Watch
"Increasingly, in Canada, public-private partnerships (P3s) are being touted as an innovative method for governments to provide public infrastructure such as hospitals. Faced with tight budgets, some governments are hailing P3s as the salvation of public infrastructure. P3Watch is an independent, non-profit, grassroots information resource for people and organizations concerned about the growing threat of P3s to Canada’s public medicare system."
- coalition of individuals, public health care advocacy groups, unions, social justice groups, and other community organizations
- incl. News (on the home page) - Campaigns - Privateers - Research - Resources - Links - About us - Search
Related Privatization Links (this link takes you further down on the page you're reading now)

-----------------------------------------

From the Canadian Union of Public Employees:

Privatization: "Innovation" Exposed - An ongoing inventory of major privatization initiatives in Canada's health care system, 2003-2004
November 4, 2004
"Privatization within Canada’s health care system has grown relentlessly since January of 2003, when former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, Provincial Premiers and Territorial Leaders signed the 2003 First Ministers’ Accord on Health Care Renewal. Our political leaders, through this Accord, sought to assure Canadians that they were working “in partnership” to preserve, enhance and sustain our public health care system. But nowhere in their “commitment to Canadians” did our leaders commit to public delivery of health care."

Complete report (PDF file - 599K, 42 pages)

Related Links:

Martin backs right of his physician to run private clinic
(This link is dead.)
May 8, 2004
"SAGUENAY -- Prime Minister Paul Martin defended his family doctor's right to operate private clinics where patients who pay the price gain quick access to certain medical tests. He said yesterday he has never received any health-care services at his doctor's Montreal clinic that were not available to the general public."
Source:
The Globe and Mail

-----------------------------------------

Martin's MD runs for-profit clinics
PM says he's no health queue-jumper; Opposition parties label him hypocrite
(This link is dead.)
May 8, 2004
"OTTAWA—Federal Liberal plans for an election campaign focused mainly on health care suffered a setback after Prime Minister Paul Martin's personal physician was dragged into the political fray. Martin was forced to acknowledge yesterday that he goes to a Montreal doctor who founded a series of private, for-profit clinics — Medisys Health Group Inc*., which bills itself as "one of Canada's leading national providers of health care services to corporations and insurance companies."
Source:
The Toronto Star

*Medisys Health Group - "Corporate Healthcare in Canada"
(This link is dead.)
NOTE/RANT: When the Toronto Star ran the above article I visited this site and copied the motto from the home page
When I revisited this site on June 12/04, the motto had been changed to "It's all about health".
Well, duh --- of course it's all about health, what else would it be about, fuzzification of purpose?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Autism

Call for a National Autism Strategy
"To date no province has offered autism treatment under the Medicare umbrella. Those provinces that offer autism treatment programs under the Social Services departments are often plagued with unconscionable waiting lists or discriminatory age-based cut-offs. It is time for the federal government to demonstrate leadership and develop a National Autism Strategy that would see federal budget surplus dollars transferred to the provinces specifically for autism treatment along with corresponding standards so that no child with autism will be left behind."

Senator Munson Launches an Inquiry into the Treatment of Autism
Senate Wakes Up!
May 11, 2006
OTTAWA, May 11, 2006 – The Honourable Jim Munson, Senator (Ottawa – Rideau Canal) rose in the Senate today to launch an inquiry on the plight faced by parents of children with autism. “It is heartbreaking to see what families with autistic children have to deal with,” said Senator Munson.

Senate Debates of May 11, 2006 - Autism!

AUTISM: the Latest Prevalence Rates in USA - Now 1 in 175
By Barbara Anello
Acting Chair, DAWN Ontario: DisAbled Women's Network
May 5, 2006
"Below is the latest bombshell in the USA about the prevalence rates for autism. Clearly, this is getting media attention in the USA. We, in Canada, need to capitalize on this and send this information to all MPs and Senators, especially Tony Clement, the Minister of Health, and ask them for the corresponding study results in Canada and what are they doing about it? Clearly, this would support the case that the government needs to mandate the Public Health Agency with monitoring what the heck is going on and using this data to feed into policy development.

As a mother of a child living with autism, I am asking all parents, family and friends of children with autism to send this to their MPs, and the Health Minister, with the request that the government recognize the problem and monitor the situation in Canada."

- includes links to contact info for the federal Minister of Health, MPs and Senators, plus a selection of articles from American media.

Read More & Take ACTION!

Barbara Anello
Acting Chair
DAWN Ontario: DisAbled Women's Network
Email: anello@vianet.ca
Email: dawnontario@sympatico.ca
URL: http://dawn.thot.net

Related Links:

Autism resources
- includes Autism FAQ - Autism Information Center Resources for Families - Developmental Screening - Resources for Researchers - Kids' Quest - Publications
NOTE: this is the organization that did the two surveys that served as sources for the new autism estimates. When I checked the Autism resources page of the CDC site on May 7, there was no mention (yet) of the new release...
Source:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)

US survey shows autism very common
May 06, 2006
WASHINGTON, MAY 5: The first national surveys of autism show the condition is very common among US children —with up to one in every 175 with the disorder, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday. This adds up to at least 300,000 US schoolchildren with autism, a condition that causes trouble with learning, socialising and behaviour, the CDC said. The CDC analysed data on 24,673 children whose parents took part in two separate government surveys on health in the United States to generate its first national estimate of the prevalence of autism.
Source:
Financial Express (India)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Says 300,000 Children Have Autism
Number may be higher, and cause is not known

May 4, 2006 — Three hundred thousand children. That's how many the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports suffer from autism. It has remained a baffling and often devastating disorder, and the new numbers show how widespread it is. The CDC reported that 5.7 children out of every thousand — one in 175 — have the problem. And the total may be higher because many doctors do not recognize the early warning signs.
Source:
ABC News Online

Google.ca News Search Results:
"autism study, CDC, May 2006"
Google.ca Web Search Results:
"autism study, CDC, May 2006"
Source:
Google.ca

NDP MP tables private bill on autism care
April 25, 2006
Alberta is the only province in Canada that pays for autism treatment and therapy, but NDP MP Peter Stoffer has tabled a private members bill that would ensure every province does the same. "No matter where you live in this country, you should have equal access to the healthcare system when it comes to autism," he told CTV News.
[NOTE: check the right-hand side of the CTV page for links to six more related stories and three videos.]
Source:
CTV News


Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Partnership
(Provincial-territorial government site)
"The Partnership is an alliance of seven jurisdictions that works towards the development and promotion of an interprovincial/territorial approach to prevention, intervention, care and support of individuals affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder."
- participating jurisdictions include : Manitoba - Saskatchewan - Alberta - British Columbia - Yukon - Northwest Territories - Nunavut
- incl. links to a message from the Premier and contact information for each jurisdiction, Priorities and Future Directions and Related Links


A Lost Decade: Income Equality and the Health of Canadians
December 2, 2002
Presentation by Katherine Scott, Senior Policy and Research Associate, at the Social Determinants of Health Conference in Toronto
Source : Canadian Council on Social Development


The Government of Canada Announces an Early Childhood Development Initiative for Aboriginal Children
News Release
October 31, 2002
"...a funding allocation of $320 million over the next five years for a strategy to improve and expand Early Childhood Development (ECD) programs and services for First Nations and other Aboriginal children."

Source : Health Canada


The Health of Canadians – The Federal Role
Volume Six: Recommendations for Reform
The Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology
Chair: The Honourable Michael J.L. Kirby
Deputy Chair: The Honourable Marjory LeBreton
October 2002
Senate Committee recommends $5B national health care premium new money to reform and expand health care system
News Release
October 25, 2002
"Canadians need to contribute an additional $5 billion per year to health care in order to make the publicly funded system financially sustainable and avert the emergence of a parallel private health care system. The decision facing Canadians is whether they are prepared to make that investment in order to overhaul Medicare."

Speaking Notes for Senators (on the release of Volume Six)

Report - Table of Contents and Part One, plus links to the rest of the report
(HTML - 186K, 29 pages)
Complete report - PDF file - 1169K, 392 pages

Highlights (HTML - 240K, 43 pages)
Highlights (PDF version - 158K, 54 pages)

Source:
Recent Senate Reports
(37th Parliament, 2nd Session)
- incl. links to volumes one to five in this series (from 37th Parliament, 1st Session)
Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology


Work–Life Conflict in Canada in the New Millennium
A Status Report
-
Final Report

Linda Duxbury, Chris Higgins
October 2003
"As we enter the new millennium, Canadian governments, employers, employees and families face a common challenge—how to make it easier for Canadians to balance their work roles and their desire to have a meaningful life outside of work. The research initiative summarized in this report was undertaken to address this issue."
PDF version (PDF file - 1.7MB, 154 pages)

For links to more work-life balance content, go to the Canadian Social Research Links Work-Life Balance page


Canadian Institutes of Health Research
"CIHR is Canada's major federal funding agency for health research. Its objective is to excel, according to internationally accepted standards of scientific excellence, in the creation of new knowledge and its translation into improved health for Canadians, more effective health services and products and a strengthened Canadian health care system."
CIHR's 13 institutes: Aboriginal Peoples' Health - Aging - Cancer Research - Circulatory and Respiratory Health - Gender and Health - Genetics - Health Services and Policy Research - Human Development, Child and Youth Health - Infection and Immunity - Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis - Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction - Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes - Population and Public Health



Centre of Excellence for Early Child Development - University of Montreal

Centre of Excellence for Children and Adolescents with Special Needs - Lakehead University

The Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth-Centred Prairie Communities - Social Planning Council of Winnipeg
Centre of Excellence for Child Welfare
- University of Toronto

Expert Advisory Committee on children announced
News Release
November 23, 2001
OTTAWA -- Ethel Blondin-Andrew, Secretary of State for Children and Youth, today announced on behalf of Health Minister Allan Rock, the creation of a National Expert Advisory
Committee on the Centres of Excellence for Children's Well-Being. Ms. Blondin Andrew made the announcement at a national conference in Ottawa featuring the work of the five Centres of Excellence. Over 400 experts, including researchers, policymakers, and professionals in health, education, child care and social services are attending the conference.
Members of the National Expert Advisory Committee
Source : Health Canada


Population Health Approach
Health Canada

April 2000

"We need to address the entire range of factors that determine health [and] the complex  interactions among these factors"
Population health is an approach to health that aims to improve the health of the entire population and to reduce health inequities among population groups.

Resources and Related Sites
Links to 14 key documents on population health, including:
A New Perspective on the Health of Canadians (PDF file, 1.4MB) - "The 1974 report on health promotion that led to an evolution in thinking about health."

The National Children’s Agenda: Health Canada's contribution
Budget 2000 Information

February 28, 2000

Good overview of Health Canada initiatives for children

Seniors Policies and Programs Database (SPPD)
- Launched in January 2000 by the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers Responsible for Seniors as a unique and lasting legacy of the International Year of Older Persons.

Browse all Records for thousands of program descriptions,

Search the database by program or by jurisdiction, or

View Program Linkages, i.e., see how these programs affect one another (Hello, you quantitative analysts out there...)



Canadian Institute for Health Information
"The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) is an independent, national, not-for-profit organization working to improve the health of Canadians and the health care system by providing quality, reliable and timely health information. CIHI's mandate was established jointly by federal and provincial/territorial ministers of health to coordinate the development and maintenance of a comprehensive and integrated approach to health information for Canada, and to provide and coordinate the provision of accurate and timely data and information required for establishing sound health policy, effectively managing the Canadian health system, and generating public awareness about factors affecting good health."

See the Sitemap of this enormous site for an overview of its content incl. links to research & reports, the CIHI Data Collection, standards, statistics and client services.

Selected site content:

Health Care in Canada 2009
Date published: October 29, 2009
Health Care in Canada 2009: A Decade in Review is the tenth in a series of annual reports on Canada's health care system. Past issues of this report brought together statistics from a variety of sources to provide an overview of the Canadian health care system. With this anniversary edition we tell the story of the last decade in health care by focusing on key areas of change. Issues such as spending, policy, access and quality are examined in the context of where the health system was 10 years ago, how things have changed since then and the issues on the horizon.

Click the link above to access the full report, individual sections, companion products the media release and contacts

Full Report (PDF - 7MB, 120 pages)
Highlights (PDF - 86K, 2 pages)
Media Release (HTML) - October 29, 2009

Table of contents - download by chapter
* Introduction
* Chapter 1: Forces that Shaped Health Care in Canada
* Chapter 2: The Health of Canadians
* Chapter 3: Follow the Money
* Chapter 4: Access to Care
* Chapter 5: Quality, Safety and Outcomes
* Chapter 6: Taking Health Information Further
* Conclusion

--------------------------------------------

Reducing Gaps in Health: A Focus on Socio-Economic Status in Urban Canada
November 24, 2008
Full Report (PDF - 3MB, 171 pages)
Table of contents (HTML) - download individual sections of the report
Reducing Gaps in Health: A Focus on Socio-Economic Status in Urban Canada provides a broad overview of the links between socio-economic status and health in 15 Canadian census metropolitan areas (CMAs), while exploring socio-economic patterns and gradients within those CMAs and across urban Canada.
- incl. links to : Full Report | Sections | Companion Products | Media Release | Summary Report | Executive Summary

Canadians in lower socio-economic groups more likely to be hospitalized for mental illness, child asthma
New CIHI study examines health differences in 15 urban areas in Canada; finds gaps wider in some areas than others.
News Release
November 24, 2008

Source:
Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)
CIHI is an independent, not-for-profit organization that provides essential data and analysis on Canada’s health system and the health of Canadians.

Also from CIHI:

National Health Expenditure Trends, 1975 to 2008
November 13, 2008
- includes updated expenditure data by source of funds (sector) and use of funds (category) at the provincial/territorial level and for Canada.

Health Care in Canada (annual report)
"This report provides up-to-date information on what we know and don't know about the performance of Canada's health care system. Topics covered in the report include the outcomes of care, health expenditures and Canada's health care professionals. Included with this report is a Health Indicators insert, providing new data on a range of health and health system-related indicators at both regional and provincial/territorial levels."

--------------------------------------------

May 29, 2008
Health Indicators, 2008
The publication Health Indicators is a joint project between Statistics Canada and the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) that provides the latest information about the health system and the health of the population in Canada's health regions, provinces and territories. The Health Indicators 2008 print publication is available today and includes a selection of indicator data and presents analysis on hospitalization rates for ambulatory care sensitive conditions.

Complete report:

Health Indicators 2008
PDF version (2MB, 96 pages)
HTML version - table of contents and related products + link to full PDF version
[ CIHI News Release and Highlights - May 29 ]

Health Care in Canada 2006
June 2006
-download the report in sections or as one single file (PDF file - 784K, 113 pages)

Health Care in Canada 2006 - Fact Sheet (PDF file - 103K, 1 page)

Heart attack survival rates improve—stroke death rates remain the same
In-hospital mortality rates within 30 days of admission with a new heart attack or stroke differ significantly among regions

News Release
June 7, 2006—Canadians admitted to hospital with a new heart attack are less likely to die in hospital within 30 days than in the past, according to a new report released today by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). (...) Health Care in Canada 2006, [is] CIHI’s seventh annual publication on the state of the health system. For the first time, this year’s report provides trends for two key health indicators: short-term mortality rates following admission with a new heart attack and short-term mortality rates following admission with a new stroke. It also examines how these death rates vary across the country and explores factors that may be associated with better or worse odds of survival, including age, sex and the types of care that patients receive.
- incl.Regional differences | Types of care influence survival rates | Different outcomes for different patients | Other highlights this year | Health Care in Canada 2006 | About CIHI | Figures | Report | Contact

---------------------------------------------------------------

Health Care in Canada, 2005
June 2005
"Part A: A Look Inside Canada's Health System summarizes recent developments in health and health care. It includes an overview of health spending and updated information on how Canadians view the health system and the services that they have received.
* Part B: A Focus on Volumes and Outcomes includes information on the distribution of select procedures across Canada and in-depth analyses of the relationship between hospital volumes and patient outcomes.."
Table of Contents --- List of Selected Figures
- Incl. links to downloads by section and the entire report in a single file
- includes links to the complete report and to individual chapters

Mortality Rate Lower in Higher-Volume Hospitals
News Release
June 8, 2005
"A new report released today by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) shows that Canadians have a better chance of surviving some types of highly specialized surgeries in hospitals where greater numbers of these procedures are performed."

--------------------------------------------

Links to Reports for Current and Previous Years - back to 2000

--------------------------------------------

Improving the Health of Canadians 2007-2008: Mental Health and Homelessness
The Improving the Health of Canadians: Mental Health and Homelessness report provides an overview of the latest research, surveys and policy initiatives related to mental health and homelessness and, for the first time, presents data on hospital use by homeless Canadians.
- includes links to the complete report and the media release (both of which are reproduced below) as well as links to download individual report sections, related documents and contact info if you wish to order a paper copy of the report

Complete Report:

Improving the Health of Canadians 2007-2008:
Mental Health and Homelessness
(PDF file - 458K, 70 pages)
August 2007

Media Release:

Mental disorders account for more than half of hospital stays among the homeless in Canada:
New CIHI report offers overview of links between mental health, mental illness and homelessness

August 30, 2007—Mental disorders accounted for 52% of acute care hospitalizations among the homeless in 2005–2006 (outside Quebec), according to a new report released today by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). In addition, the report shows that 35% of visits to selected emergency departments (EDs)—mostly in Ontario—by homeless people were related to mental and behavioural disorders, a proportion that is higher than that for other patients (3%).

Source:
Canadian Population Health Initiative
[ Canadian Institute for Health Information - CIHI ]

Related links:

Homeless hospitalized more often for mental illness: study
10,000 people in Canada are homeless on any given night
August 30, 2007
Homeless people in Canada have more mental health problems than the rest of the population, leading to higher hospitalization rates, says a new report released Thursday.
Mental disorders accounted for 52 per cent of acute care hospitalizations among the homeless in 2005-2006, said the report, released Thursday by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).
Source:
CBC News

Prime Minister launches national Mental Health Commission
August 31, 2007
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced the final selection of the Board of Directors for the newly created Mental Health Commission of Canada.
Source:
Office of the New Prime Minister of Canada

Related Web/News/Blog links:

Google Search Results Links - always current results!
Using the following search terms (without the quote marks):
"CIHI, report, mental health, homelessness"
- Web search results page
- News search results page
- Blog Search Results page
Source:
Google.ca

Health Indicators, 2007
Date published: May 30, 2007
Health Indicators 2007 is a compilation of selected indicators measuring health status, non-medical determinants of health, health-system performance and community and health-system characteristics. This issue also includes an analytical section that highlights the impact of hip fractures.

- includes links to the complete report and the media release as well as links to download individual report sections, related documents and contact info if you wish to order a paper copy of the report

Complete Report:

Health Indicators, 2007 (PDF file - 1.3MB, 91 pages)

Hospital Report 2007: Acute Care
Date published: August 24, 2007
Hospital Report 2007: Acute Care is a system-wide and hospital-specific report that uses a balanced scorecard approach to provide information on the performance of hospitals that provide acute care in Ontario. The objectives of this series of reports are to facilitate local quality-improvement programs, to encourage openness and transparency in reporting and to support hospitals' accountability to the communities they serve.

- includes links to the complete report and the media release as well as links to download individual report sections, related documents and contact info if you wish to order a paper copy of the report

Complete Report:

Hospital Report 2007: Acute Care (PDF file - 884K, 66 pages)

Health Care Spending to Reach $130 Billion This Year; per Capita Spending to Hit $4,000
Spending up, but rate of increase lowest in last seven years, reports CIHI

News Release
December 8, 2004
"Canada’s health care spending is expected to reach $130.3 billion in 2004, a 5.9% increase over last year, and the lowest annual growth rate since 1997. The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) released these figures today in its annual report on Canada’s health expenditure. In 2002, health care spending was $114 billion and is estimated to have reached $123 billion in 2003, for annual increases of 7.3% and 7.9%, respectively."

National Health Expenditure Trends, 1975-2004
"CIHI's eighth annual health expenditure trends publication and provides detailed, updated information on health expenditure in Canada."
- incl. links to the full report and to individual sections .
NOTE: Registration is required to download the report, but you don't need to give your e-mail address if you value your privacy

Executive Summary
Table of Contents
Data Tables
List of Figures

"Provincial/Territorial Government Health Spending Expected to Reach $84 Billion in 2004–2005,
Reports Canadian Institute for Health information:
Projected growth lowest in seven years"
News Release
November 3, 2004
"A new report on provincial and territorial government health spending released today by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) shows continued growth in health care spending from provincial and territorial governments. Today’s report, Preliminary Provincial/Territorial Government Health Expenditure, 1974–1975 to 2004–2005, reveals provincial and territorial governments are expected to spend $83.9 billion in 2004–2005, an increase of 5.1% over the previous year, the lowest growth recorded since 1997–1998. Provincial and territorial government health spending was projected to reach $74.0 billion in 2002–2003 and $79.8 billion in 2003–2004, reflecting annual growth rates of 7.0% and 7.9% respectively. After removing the effects of inflation, health care expenditures in constant 1997 dollars are projected to reach $72.6 billion in 2004–2005, reflecting a real growth rate of 2.9%."
- incl. links to info about : Proportion of Provincial GDP | Per Capita Spending | Proportion of Governments’ Programs | Category of Service | About NHEX | About CIHI | Charts and Tables | Report | Contact

Complete report
(Registration required, but you don't need to give your e-mail address if you value your privacy)
Executive Summary
Table of Contents (no links, just the table of contents)

Source:
Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)

Also from CIHI:

Inpatient Hospitalizations Continue to Decline, Same-Day Surgery Visits on the Rise,
Reports Canadian Institute for Health Information
News Release
October 29, 2004
"New data available today from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) show that inpatient hospitalizations declined by 14.4% between 1995–1996 and 2002–2003, and by 1.7% between 2001–2002 and 2002–2003. Overall, there were 2,770,128 inpatient hospitalizations in Canada in 2002–2003, down from 3,235,313 in 1995–1996. The age-adjusted inpatient hospitalization rate (per 100,000 population) reflects this trend, declining by 22.3% since 1995–1996 and by 3.3% between 2001–2002 and 2002–2003. While most provinces and territories reported a decrease in inpatient hospitalizations between 2001–2002 and 2002–2003, increases were observed in Alberta (2.0%) and the Yukon Territory (6.5%). The largest decreases in inpatient hospitalizations between 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 were reported by the Northwest Territories (8.0%) and New Brunswick (4.9%)."
- incl. in this release: Same-Day Surgery | Length of Stay | Hospitalizations | About CIHI | Charts/Tables | Contact

Charting the Course, Progress Report: Two Years Later: How Are We Doing?
Posted May 2004
Joint publication of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Canadian Institute for Health Information
"This report documents the progress made by CPHI and IPPH in responding to key population and public health priorities identified in a cross-country consultation conducted in 2001. The priorities are captured in Charting the Course: A Pan-Canadian Consultation on Population and Public Health Priorities, released in 2002."
Also available on the site:
Charting the Course, Progress Report: Two Years Later: How Are We Doing?(2004) - PDF file - 229K, 31 pages
Charting the Course: A Pan-Canadian Consultation on Population and Public Health Priorities (2002) PDF file - 874K, 52 pages
NOTE: Click on the Charting the Course link (above) to access either of these two reports. In each case, you'll be asked on the following page to indicate what type of organization you're with and your location (province/territory) "to help us prepare more useful and informative reports." You have the option of answering the two questions using the drop-down menus provided, or ignoring them. Then click on "Submit"to get to the page with the link to the PDF file.

Related Links:
Canadian Institute for Health Information
Canadian Institutes of Health Research

From the Canadian Population Health Initiative (CPHI) :
[ Canadian Institute for Health Information - CIHI ]

New Report Examines Inequalities in Health
Canadians must focus on opportunities to improve health
News Release
"February 25, 2004 - A new report from the Canadian Population Health Initiative (CPHI) takes stock of enduring inequalities in health in Canada, including among children, Aboriginal peoples and low-income Canadians. Improving the Health of Canadians focuses on why some Canadians are healthy and others are not; and underscores some of the choices communities face in creating more equal opportunities for good health.

Summary Report (PDF file - 507 KB, 43 pages)
Backgrounders:
* Income
* Early Childhood Development
* Aboriginal Peoples' Health
* Obesity

Complete report:

Improving the Health of Canadians 2004
PDF version - 3.4MB, 173 pages
NOTE: clicking the PDF link above takes you to a (free) registration page where you are asked for some personal info (name, e-mail address, etc.). The Canadian Population Health Initiative is a Canadian government organization, so you don't have to worry about your personal info being used inappropriately. However, if you have a personal issue with divulging your personal info online, just click "Submit" at the bottom without completing it and you'll have access to the file.

Feedback - for your comments and suggestions re. Improving the Health of Canadians 2004

Related Links:

POVERTY- Globe & Mail ignores mention of broader determinants of health
February 13, 2004
"The Toronto Globe and Mail -- Canada's "Newspaper of Record" has been notorious for ignoring any mention of broader determinants of health. Wednesday, they had one of their almost daily reports on obesity -- this time a report from the Heart and Stroke Foundation that -- obesity was now the #1 Public Health Issue in Canada."
Read letters to the G&M in rebuttal to the G&M report by Michael Polanyi and Dennis Raphael.
Source:
DisAbled Women's Network - Ontario

Women Live Longer Than Men – but Life-Expectancy Figures Mask Major Health Problems
New Report Provides First Comprehensive Look at Health of Canadian Women; Finds Disturbing Risks Among Young Women
News Release
September 30, 2003
Canadian Population Health Initiative (CPHI)
"Canadian women live longer than men, but that doesn’t mean they’re healthier. A new report shows that both younger and older women are actually at higher risk than men for many serious health problems."
- In this release: General Findings | Risks for Younger Women | Risks for Older Women | Risks for Single Mothers and Rural Women | About the Report | About CPHI | Contact
Table of Contents - just the TOC, no links to actual content
Complete report:
Women's Health Surveillance Report :
A Multi-Dimensional Look at the Health of Canadian Women
(PDF file - 917K, 102 pages)

Poverty and Health - CPHI Collected Papers
The Impact of Poverty on Health by Shelley Phipps, June 2003 (PDF file -297K, 39 pages)
Policy Approaches to Address the Impact of Poverty on Health by David P. Ross, June 2003 (293K, 33 pages)
Poverty and Health: Links to Action - proceedings of the CPHI National Roundtable on Poverty and Health, March 26, 2002 (PDF file - 232K, 36 pages)

Other CPHI reports:
- Children and Youth Health-CPHI Atlantic Regional Workshop
- Determinants of Healthy Communities-CPHI Prairie Regional Workshop
- Place and Health-CPHI Research Workshop Report
- "Initial Directions" Proceedings of CPHI's First Roundtable on Aboriginal Peoples' Health
- Women's Health Surveillance Report
Coming this fall:
- Aboriginal Peoples' Health-CPHI Roundtable Series Reports 2 & 3
- Obesity in Canada-CPHI Roundtable Report


Canadian Health Network - "The (CHN) is a new and growing network, bringing together resources of leading Canadian health organizations and international health information providers."

Canadian Health Care System Links
(from about.com

Excellent collection of links to federal and provincial/territorial government health care sites, all on one page

 


National Forum on Health

The National Forum on Health is an initiative of the Government of Canada launched on October 20, 1994. The Forum officially ended its operations on June 13, 1997. This website contains background information, reports, press releases, and just about anything else you might want to know about the Forum.

Women's Health Bureau
Health Canada

- incl. links to : About Women's Health Bureau - Women's Health Strategy - Facts & Issues - Key Activities - Resources - Links
Some sample content:

- Women's Health Strategy (last updated 01/02)

- Key Activities includes links to : Women's Health Strategy - Centres of Excellence for Women's Health Program - Menopause - Gender-Based Analysis Initiative - Health Canada`s Gender-Based Analysis Policy - Ninth Conference of the Spouses of Heads of State and Government of the Americas - Women's Health Bureau Open House

- Links to Women's Sites - incl. links to women's health organizations in Canada, the U.S. and other countries

Centres of Excellence for Women's Health (Health Canada)
- "The Women's Health Bureau of Health Canada is funding five Centres of Excellence for Women's Health over six years (1996-2002). The Centres are multi-disciplinary and operate as partnerships among academics, community-based organizations and policy makers. Their major aim is to inform the policy process and narrow the knowledge gap on gender and health determinants."

- Northern FIRE : Northern Secretariat of the BC Centre of Excellence for Women's Health
- B.C. Centre of Excellence for Women's Health - Children's & Women's Hospital, Vancouver

- Prairie Women's Health Centre of Excellence - Winnipeg, Regina and Saskatoon

- National Network on Environments and Women's Health - York University, Toronto

- Centre of Excellence for Women's Health - Université de Montréal

- Atlantic Centre of Excellence for Women's Health - Halifax

Related Links:

CEWH Research Bulletin
- this link takes you to the table of contents of the current issue of the bulletin (Spring 2002); down the left side of the page, you'll also find links to five earlier issues (back the the fall of 2000); in each case, you can either click on the individual sections of the bulletin to read them selectively or you can download the entire issue in PDF format.
- topics covered include : caregiving, women and health care reform, what counts and who’s counted in women’s health research, women with disabilities, Aboriginal women's health issues, midwifery, diversity and more...

The Canadian Women's Health Network
"The Canadian Women's Health Network (CWHN) was officially launched in May, 1993 by women representing over 70 organizations from every province and territory. Based on the visions, hopes and needs of women working in the women's health movement, the CWHN emerged from the generous dedication of health care workers, educators, advocates, consumers and other Canadians committed to sharing information, resources and strategies to better women's health."
- incl. links to : Network Magazine - Women's Health Topics - Women's Health Databases - Women's Health Links - Centres of Excellence for Women's Health - Brigit's Notes - About CWHN - Text Index - What's Hot - Health Links - What's New - français

What's new from the Canadian Women's Health Network:

Network magazine
Spring/Summer - Volume 10, Number 2
June 2008
HTML version
PDF version
(1.8MB, 36 pages)

Feature articles:
* Editor's Note
* Feeling the heat: Women's health in a changing climate
* Evidence for caution: Women and statin use
* The HPV vaccine, one year later
* Charter challenge on drugs ads: A challenge in the wrong direction
* Labels, laws and access to health care: How history affects health-care access for First Nations and Métis women
* Cherchez la femme in minority francophone communities
* Barbara Seaman (1935-2008): Pioneer in the women's health movement
* Status positive: Supporting women immigrants and refugees with HIV/AIDS
* 'Women CARE' in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside
* Highs & lows: Canadian perspectives on women and substance use
-- and much more!

[ Archive of back issues ]

See also:

Brigit's Notes: Women's Health E-bulletin
Brigit's Notes is a monthly electronic bulletin that's full of great women's health news.

Source:
Canadian Women's Health Network (CWHN)
The Canadian Women's Health Network was created in 1993 as a voluntary national bilingual organization to improve the health and lives of girls and women in Canada and the world by collecting, producing, distributing and sharing knowledge, ideas, education, information, resources, strategies and inspirations.

CWHN Partners:

* Centres of Excellence for Women's Health

* CBRN Research & Technology Initiative

* Women and Health Protection

* Women and Health Care Reform


Subscribe to receive the bulletin by email

---------------------------

Network online magazine - latest issue (Spring/Summer 2007)
Table of contents:
* Editor's Note
* Aboriginal women too often the victims of racialized, sexualized violence
* Memorials for women across Canada
* The Global Women's Memorial Website
* Violence prevention is a public health issue
*The Children's Fitness Tax Credit: Less than meets the eye
* Poor health and economic insecurity are realities for female unpaid caregivers
* Recommended resources
* more...

Back issues of Network magazine (links to several hundred articles going back to 1996)

---------------------------

Version française:

Le bloc-notes de Brigit : Babillard électronique
Dernière édition
Abonnement
au bulletin par courriel

Le Réseau - dernier numéro
Anciens numéros de la revue Le Réseau (jusqu'à 1996)

Source:
Réseau canadien pour la santé des femmes

---------------------------

Primary Health Care Reform and Women (PDF file - 423K, 24 pages)
September 2005
"Given that women are both the majority of the users of the health care system and the majority of health care providers, how can reforms be made to work for all women — no matter where they live, what their income levels, education, language or health issue, sexual orientation or level of physical disability? (...)
Examines the debates about primary health care reforms and their impact on women and their health. Argues that these reforms are really about women’s work even though women are not the ones making most of the decisions."
Source:
National Coordinating Group on Health Care Reform and Women
[ Centres of Excellence for Women's Health ]
and
[ Canadian Women's Health Network ]
[ funded by Health Canada's Bureau of Women's Health and Gender Analysis ]

- Go to the Canadian Government Sites about Women's Social Issues page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/women.htm

Health-Related Links from Health Canada
Health Care

General

Health Promotion Professional careMental health

Public Health

General

Emergency services

Regulated Products

Source: Health Canada

NOTE: these links were on the old Health Canada website; I copied them here when Health Canada announced that they would discontinue the list....



Health Research

General

Biotechnology Cancer Cardiovascular

Federal government

Health Services Restructuring: New Evidence and New Directions
Conference
November 17-18, 2005
Kingston, Ontario
Organized by the John Deutsch Institute and the Institute for Research on Public Policy
"The principal objective of the conference is to shift debate away from polarizing issues and focus instead on use of evidence and empirical analysis to examine specific structural innovations to better understand impacts on service delivery and to help identify what works and what doesn’t."

Program (PDF file - 64K, 3 pages)
Registration form
Register online

Source:
John Deutsch Institute
Institute for Research on Public Policy

-----------------------------------

Genuine solutions to health care wait-time problem lie in the public sector
Press Release
December 15, 2005
"OTTAWA—A study released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives shows that there are public sector solutions to Canada’s wait list problems. While often touted, private for-profit clinics actually tend to make things worse.Author Dr. Michael Rachlis asserts that, instead of going down this road, Canadians should choose public sector solutions. The paper highlights two innovative approaches:
1. establish more specialized public short-stay surgical centres; and
2. adopt modern methods of queue management from other sectors.

Complete study:

Public Solutions to Health Care Waitlists - PDF file, 308K, 38 pages

Source:
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

-------------------------------------------------

The Health of Canadians
December 5, 2006
The Health of Canadians is the newest addition to Stats & Facts, a series of popular CCSD fact sheets that also includes:
* Demographics * Family * Education * Health * Economic Security * Labour Market
- the health fact sheet includes graphics and tables on the following topics:
Health Care System
* Spending on Health Care * Spending on Prescription Drugs * Access to Doctors * Patient Satisfaction
Health Behaviours
* Physical Activity * Obesity * Smoking *
Health Status
* Self-rated Health
Chronic Health Conditions
* Asthma * Diabetes * Depression
Leading Causes of Death
* Circulatory Disease * Cancer

Source:
Stats & Facts


Source:
Stats & Facts
[ Canadian Council on Social Development ]

--------------------------------------------------

Poverty makes Ontario sick
August 5, 2008
Economic inequality translates into limited access to health-care for province's poor
Source:
The Toronto Star

NOTE: The co-authors of this article, Dr. Michael Rachlis, Dr. Gary Bloch and Dr. Itamar Tamari,
were also involved in writing the following series of three articles in the May 2008 issue of the Ontario Medical Review:

Poverty and Health: article series
The Ontario Physicians Poverty Work Group has prepared a series of articles that provide physicians with an overview of the issues related to poverty and health, indicators and resources that can be used in practice, along with strategies to help mitigate the health effects of poverty in individual patients and communities.

* Part 1: Why poverty makes us sick (PDF - 157K, 6 pages)

* Part 2: Identifying poverty in your practice and community (PDF - 143K, 5 pages)

* Part 3: Strategies for physicians to mitigate the health effects of poverty (PDF - 2MB, 5 pages)

Source:
Ontario Medical Review • May 2008 issue
[ Ontario Medical Association ]

Related link:

Doctors Point to Poverty as Major Cause of Illness
New report shows how poverty impacts health and what doctors can do to
help address this growing health-care crisis
TORONTO, July 29 /CNW/ - A new report by a group of Ontario doctors highlights the ways in which poverty affects the health outcomes of adults and children and the role health-care professionals can play in reducing the impact of poverty on people's health. The report, "Why poverty makes us sick," authored by The Ontario Physicians Poverty Work Group, reveals that poverty substantially raises the rate of chronic illness, infant mortality and lowers life expectancy.
Source:
CNW Group (formerly Canada Newswire)


 

United States/International
[The links below are in reverse chronological order, for the most part]


NOTE: For a large collection of links to info about the
U.S. health care reform initiative
,
See this special section of the U.S. Govt. links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/us.htm#health_care_reform

United States

Barely Hanging On: Middle-Class and Uninsured (PDF - 512K, 10 pages)NEW(added April 2/10)
http://www.rwjf.org/files/research/58034.pdf
March 2010
In recent times, the ability of middle-class persons to secure adequate health care insurance has been compromised by a number of factors. These are the findings of a report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released in March 2010. The work chronicles state-by-state health coverage trends since 1999, and it was prepared by the State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC) at the University of Minnesota. The report notes that the total number of uninsured, middle-class people increased by more than 2 million since 2000 and that the average employee's cost for health insurance rose 81 percent from 2000 to 2008. Visitors can peruse the 10-page report's various charts and tables at their leisure, and the report is of particular interest to those in the fields of public health and health care management.
Reviewed by:
The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2010.

Related links:

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The mission of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is to improve the health and health care of all Americans. Our goal is clear: To help Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need.

State Health Access Data Assistance Center
The University of Minnesota's State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC) is funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to help states monitor rates of health insurance coverage and to understand factors associated with uninsurance.

--------------------

Historic U.S. health-care bill passes
March 22, 2010
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a historic health-care bill late Sunday that will make coverage possible for more than 30 million uninsured Americans and end discrimination by insurance companies against people with existing medical conditions. Legislators voted 219 to 212 in favour of the landmark legislation that has been debated on Capitol Hill for a year.
NOTE: see 1000+ story comments!
Source:
CBC

---

Health Care 2010
Tracking the national debate on health care system overhaul
Source:
The Washington Post

---

From The White House:

March 22, 2010
Reform Begins
White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer lays out some of the immediate benefits of health reform.

March 22, 2010
This is What Change Looks Like
After a historic vote in the House to send health reform to the President, he speaks to all Americans on the change they will finally see as they are given back control over their own health care.

--------------------


Health Care Costs Around the World (Info-graphic)
http://www.visualeconomics.com/healthcare-costs-around-the-world_2010-03-01/
(Reuters) - "The United States spends more on health care than any other country in the world but has higher rates of infant mortality, diabetes and other ills than many other developed countries."
(...not to mention the 46 million + Americans who had NO health insurance
coverage whatsoever in 2008, according to the latest available figures.)

--------------------



Comparison of Canadian and American health care systems

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Government and private health and public policy analysts have compared the health care systems of Canada and the United States. The U.S. spends much more on health care than Canada, both on a per-capita basis and as a percentage of GDP. In 2006, per-capita spending for health care in the U.S. was US$6,714; in Canada, US$3,678. The U.S. spent 15.3% of GDP on health care in that year; Canada spent 10.0%. In 2006, 70% of health care spending in Canada was financed by government, versus 46% in the United States. Total government spending per capita in the U.S. on health care was 23% higher than Canadian government spending, and U.S. government expenditure on health care was just under 83% of total Canadian spending (public and private).
NOTE:
1. Click "External Links" on the Wikipedia page for comparisons of several aspects of health insurance in Canada and the U.S. (e.g. insurance coverage, wait times)
2. Click "References"on the Wikipedia page for a collection of links to dozens and dozens of free online resources.

--------------------


From the U.S. Census Bureau:

Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2008
Press Release
September 10, 2009
The U.S. Census Bureau announced today that real median household income in the United States fell 3.6 percent between 2007 and 2008, from $52,163 to $50,303. This breaks a string of three years of annual income increases and coincides with the recession that started in December 2007. The nation’s official poverty rate in 2008 was 13.2 percent, up from 12.5 percent in 2007. There were 39.8 million people in poverty in 2008, up from 37.3 million in 2007. Meanwhile, the number of people without health insurance coverage rose from 45.7 million in 2007 to 46.3 million in 2008, while the percentage remained unchanged at 15.4 percent. These findings are contained in the report Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2008.
NOTE: this press release includes extensive highlights from the report

Complete report:

Income, Poverty and Health
Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2008
(PDF - 1.4MB, 74 pages)
This report contains the official national findings from the Current Population Survey (CPS).

* Income and Poverty Fact Sheet (PDF - 55K, 2 pages)
* Health Insurance Fact Sheet (PDF - 61K, 3 pages)

Source:
U.S. Census Bureau

Related links from the Census Bureau:

Income Statistics, 2008
- includes tables showing income by state
[ main Income page - more links]

Poverty Statistics, 2008 - incl. highlights, graphs and tables
[ main Poverty page ]

Health insurance coverage data, 2008 - incl. highlights, graphs and tables
[ main Health Insurance page ]


Related links - Web/News/Blogs:

Google Search Results Links - always current results!
Using the following search terms (without the quote marks):
"Census Bureau, Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage"
Web search results page
News search results page
Blog Search Results page
Source:
Google.ca

Related links - Analysis:

Children's Defense Fund Statement on
New Data Showing 8.1 Million Uninsured Children, 14.1 Million Children in Poverty in 2008
Number of Children Living in Poverty Increased by Nearly 750,000
September 10, 2009
WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Children's Defense Fund (CDF) President Marian Wright Edelman issued the following statement in response to the Census Bureau's release of data showing that, in 2008, 8.1 million children were uninsured and 14.1 million children lived in poverty.
"Today’s Census data show that there are 8.1 million uninsured children in America. This new information only underscores why health reform must guarantee that every child in America can easily access comprehensive, affordable health coverage. We know that investing in preventive services for children and addressing their health needs now is far more cost-effective than ignoring them. Communities incur increased costs when their children are not insured, often because of increased use of emergency rooms and longer hospital stays. For example, an uninsured child can cost the community as much as $2,100 more than a child covered by Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)."
Source:
Children's Defense Fund
The Children's Defense Fund (CDF) is a non-profit child advocacy organization that has worked relentlessly for 35 years to ensure a level playing field for all children. We champion policies and programs that lift children out of poverty; protect them from abuse and neglect; and ensure their access to health care, quality education and a moral and spiritual foundation.

---

Statement: Greenstein on Census’ 2008 Health Insurance and Poverty Data
September 10, 2009
By Robert Greenstein
Today’s grim Census Bureau report shows the nation lost substantial ground in 2008 on poverty, median income, and the number of people who are uninsured. Several aspects of the Census report stand out. The number of people living in poverty jumped by 2.6 million to 39.8 million — the highest since 1960. The poverty rate — the percentage of people living in poverty — also rose, to 13.2 percent, which is its highest level since 1997. Similarly, real median household income fell by $1,860 to $50,303, its lowest level since 1997. These figures are particularly grim because they come after the disappointing record of the 2001-2007 expansion.
Source:
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is one of the nation’s premier policy organizations working at the federal and state levels on fiscal policy and public programs that affect low- and moderate-income families and individuals. The Center conducts research and analysis to help shape public debates over proposed budget and tax policies and to help ensure that policymakers consider the needs of low-income families and individuals in these debates. We also develop policy options to alleviate poverty.

---

New 2008 poverty, income data reveal only tip of the recession iceberg
By Heidi Shierholz
September 10, 2009
(...) While the 3.6% decline in median income in 2008 was the largest one-year decline on record (since 1967) and the increase in poverty was the largest one-year increase in poverty since 1991, an important thing to keep in mind about today's data release is that it captures only a small portion of the deterioration in the economy up to this point in the recession.
Source:
Economic Policy Institute
The Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit Washington D.C. think tank, was created in 1986 to broaden the discussion about economic policy to include the interests of low- and middle-income workers. Today, with global competition expanding, wage inequality rising, and the methods and nature of work changing in fundamental ways, it is as crucial as ever that people who work for a living have a voice in the economic discourse.

---

Declining health care coverage: the worst is yet to come
By Elise Gould
September 8, 2009
On Thursday, September 10, the U.S. Census Bureau will release its annual report on health insurance coverage in 2008. The report includes the latest numbers on the uninsured and various forms of health coverage. EPI’s same-day analysis of this report will highlight trends in employer-sponsored health insurance, including valuable state-by-state coverage rates
Source:
Economic Policy Institute
The Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit Washington D.C. think tank, was created in 1986 to broaden the discussion about economic policy to include the interests of low- and middle-income workers. Today, with global competition expanding, wage inequality rising, and the methods and nature of work changing in fundamental ways, it is as crucial as ever that people who work for a living have a voice in the economic discourse.

---

Stimulus Keeping 6 Million Americans Out Of Poverty In 2009, Estimates Show
by Arloc Sherman
September 9, 2009
“This analysis, which comes one day before the Census Bureau will release updated poverty figures (for 2008), examines seven of the recovery act’s provisions — two improvements in unemployment insurance, three tax credits for working families, an increase in food stamps, and a one-time payment for retirees, veterans, and people with disabilities — and finds that they alone are preventing more than 6 million Americans from falling below the poverty line and are reducing the severity of poverty for 33 million more. The analysis includes state-specific estimates for California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Illinois.”

View the full statement:
HTML
http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=2910
PDF ( 16pp.)
http://www.cbpp.org/files/9-9-09pov2.pdf

 

---

President Obama and antipoverty policy:
What does the stimulus bill do to fight poverty, educate citizens and improve public health?
(PDF - 239K, 3 pages)
By T. Smeeding
March 2009
Source:
Institute for Research on Poverty (Madison, Wisconsin)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Michael Moore and National Health Care: Lies of the Left and the Right
Posted August 7, 2007
In Moore's film the first president Bush is seen dismissing the idea of socialized medicine, remarking that if you think it could work, "Ask a Canadian." The fact is that while many Canadians have criticisms of their health care system, almost none would choose a U.S.-style, for-profit system. They would laugh at the idea that it would work better for them.
Source:
Huffington Post (U.S.)

Related links:

SiCKO - the official movie website

MichaelMoore.com - includes "SiCKO Factual Backup"

SiCKO - from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Medicaid Resource Book
This reference book describes four pivotal aspects of how the Medicaid program operates -- who it covers, what it covers, how it is financed, and how it is administered. It was written to assist the public and policymakers in understanding the structure and operation of the Medicaid program.
Table of Contents : * Medicaid Eligibility * Medicaid Benefits * Medicaid Financing * Medicaid Administration * Medicaid Glossary * Appendix 1: Medicaid Legislative History, 1965-2000 * Appendix 2: Index to Medicaid Statute * Appendix 3: Index to Medicaid Regulations * Appendix 4: Selected Resources from KCMU * Appendix 5: Selected Internet Medicaid Resources

Source:
Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and The Uninsured
[ Kaiser Family Foundation ]

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Snapshots: Health Care Costs
This is "a series of online publications ... that use charts, data and analysis to provide insight into the political and policy debates about the cost of health care in the United States." Some of the topics include out-of-pocket spending for health care, insurance premium cost-sharing and coverage take-up, health care spending in the U.S. compared with other countries, and effect of changes in medical technology on health care costs.
Source:
Kaiser Family Foundation
Reviewed in:
New this Week
[New This Week Archive]
[ Librarians' Internet Index ]

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Pew Center on the States: Special Report on Medicaid 2006
Bridging the Gap Between Care and Cost
(U.S.)
This special report on Medicaid, by the Pew Center on the States, seeks to analyze the real-world experiences of states, highlight examples of what works and what doesn't, and inform a crucial policy debate that will affect the lives of millions of Americans.
- incl. links to the Complete report (PDF file - 292K, 24 pages) and to a table of contents (copied below) with links to the individual chapters in HTML.
Table of contents:
Overview
* The Great Debate Medicaid in the eye of the storm
* The Challenge of Change Balancing cost controls with the health of millions
The States at Work
* Long-term care Medicaid's Third Rail
* Prescription drugs The Rx Factor: Controlling prescription drug costs
* Technology The Great eHealth Hope: How technology can help
* Cost sharing Something of Value: Experiments in cost sharing
* Management Tools to Live By: Managing for better performance
* Private insurance Trading Places: Tapping into private insurance
* Reform The Radical Reformers: A new approach
* About the Report
* Related Resources - Links to over 800 reports from the 50 states pertaining to Medicaid and related health issues. These reports were published in 2004 and 2005 and come from many different sources, including auditors, legislatures, a wide variety of state agencies and research organizations. Resources can be browsed by state or topic.

News Release:

Pew Center on the States Examines State Innovation in Medicaid Policy
January 1, 2006
(Philadelphia, PA) - All 50 states are experimenting with new ways to try to rein in Medicaid costs. While these approaches may save money, they could limit the program's capacity to provide vital health care to the nearly 60 million Americans who depend on it. Which reforms have been most effective? What may be the unintended consequences of reforms to Medicaid? The Pew Center on the States, a division of The Pew Charitable Trusts, today issued its first state policy report, Special Report on Medicaid: Bridging the Gap Between Care and Cost, which analyzes how state Medicaid programs are wrestling with rising costs and highlights examples of which innovations are working, which are not, and why.

Source:
Pew Center on the States

"The Pew Center conducts highly credible research, brings together diverse perspectives, analyzes states' experiences to determine what works and what doesn't, and collaborates with other funders and organizations to shine a spotlight on nonpartisan, pragmatic solutions."

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Measuring disparities in health status and in
access and use of health care in OECD countries
(PDF - 514K, 55 pages)
March 9, 2009
[incl. Canada]
By Michael de Looper and Gaetan Lafortune
This paper assesses the availability and comparability of selected indicators of inequality in health status and in health care access and use across OECD countries, focussing on disparities among socioeconomic groups. These indicators are illustrated using national or cross-national data sources to stratify populations by income, education or occupation level. In each case, people in lower socioeconomic groups tend to have a higher rate of disease, disability and death, use less preventive and specialist health services than expected on the basis of their need, and for certain goods and services may be required to pay a proportionately higher share of their income to do so.
Source:
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Measuring disparities in health status and in
access and use of health care in OECD countries
(PDF - 514K, 55 pages)
[incl. Canada]
March 9, 2009
By Michael de Looper and Gaetan Lafortune
This paper assesses the availability and comparability of selected indicators of inequality in health status and in health care access and use across OECD countries, focussing on disparities among socioeconomic groups. These indicators are illustrated using national or cross-national data sources to stratify populations by income, education or occupation level. In each case, people in lower socioeconomic groups tend to have a higher rate of disease, disability and death, use less preventive and specialist health services than expected on the basis of their need, and for certain goods and services may be required to pay a proportionately higher share of their income to do so.
Source:
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

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Health at a glance 2007: OECD indicators
November 15, 2007
Progress in the prevention and treatment of diseases has contributed to remarkable improvements in life expectancy and quality of life in OECD countries in recent decades. At the same time, spending on health care continues to climb, consuming an ever-increasing share of national income: health expenditure now accounts for 9% of GDP on average in OECD countries, up from just over 5% in 1970.
Source:
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

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Challenges in health and health care for Australia
By Bruce K Armstrong, James A Gillespie, Stephen R Leeder, George L Rubin and Lesley M Russell
The Medical Journal of Australia
Posted 13-11-2007
Our health system is stretched by an ageing population, the growing burden of chronic illness, and the increasingly outmoded organisation of our health services. Inequalities in health between our most and least advantaged citizens persist, and are the sentinels that remind us that there is no room for complacency, or for inertia in reforming our health care system.

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Global Health Watch 2005-2006
"Global Health Watch 2005-2006 is a collaboration of public health experts, non-governmental organizations, community groups, health workers and academics. It presents a hard-hitting assessment of inequalities in health and health care – and is aimed at challenging the major institutions, such as the World Health Organization, that influence health."
- use the links near the top of the page to download the report as one large file or individual chapters

Global Health Action 2005-2006 (PDF file - 2MB, 24 pages)
"Global Health Action is a campaign tool based on the first Global Health Watch, published in July 2005.

Source:
Global Health Watch
"... a broad collaboration of public health experts, non-governmental organizations, civil society activists, community groups, health workers and academics. It was initiated by the People’s Health Movement, Global Equity Gauge Alliance and Medact."

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Cover The Uninsured Week - U.S.
May 1-8, 2005
"Today, 45 million Americans have no health insurance, including more than 8 million children. Eight out of 10 uninsured Americans either work or are in working families. Being uninsured means going without needed care..."
Cover The Uninsured Week is a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Who's Involved - Former Presidents Ford and Carter are again serving as Honorary Co-Chairs for Cover the Uninsured Week...

Source:
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
As the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change.

Research on U.S. Health Insurance Coverage - links to reports, journal articles and books on health insurance coverage in the U.S. from 1999 to 2005

Related Canadian Links:

Conservative vets offer a new vision
Manning and Harris propose scrapping Canada Health Act, rebuilding U.S. relations
CanWest News Service

April 14, 2005
"OTTAWA - Preston Manning and Mike Harris, two prominent Conservatives, have sketched a vision for Canada that includes a new customs agreement with the United States and a dramatically revamped health care system. The two former politicians released a report yesterday that also calls for a tight rein on government spending and deep tax cuts as part of a strategy they say is aimed at giving Canada the highest quality of life in the world."
Source:
The National Post

Executive Summary + link to the complete report
Source:
The Fraser Institute

Commentary:
Two former American presidents, one a Democrat and the other a Republican, are co-chairing Cover the Uninsured Week in the U.S., a national initiative to encourage "individuals and organizations from every sector of society to join together to tell our leaders that health care coverage for all Americans must be their top priority."
And here in Canada, we have one former provincial Premier and one former federal Opposition leader proposing to "scrap the Health Act."
As Keith Banting said in 1995 to the Parliamentary Committee studying the Canada Health and Social Transfer (which was to take effect in April of 1996) and its impact on Canadian society, "those of us who have recently visited large American cities may well have seen our future."
Forty-five million Americans have *no* health insurance coverage, and millions more are not covered for the full year.
The Institute of Medicine estimates that 18,000 Americans die each year because they don’t have health coverage.
Duh.

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America's Health: State Health Rankings - 2004 Edition
- incl. links to : Intro and Findings (Foreword and Introduction, Measures of Success, 2004 Results, Changes from 2003, 1990, Comparison to Other Nations) - Components - State Snapshots - Methodology - Commentaries and Special Features - Appendices (Occupational Fatalities, Health Disparity, Index of Tables [total of 37 tables])

Source:
State Health Rankings Home Page
[ United Health Foundation ]

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Health Care Insurance in the U.S.:

Healthcare and Insurance
Health care plans, health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, Blue Cross Blue Shield. Find information on healthcare.

Medicare, Medicaid, Differences and Similarities
Information on Medicare and Medicaid, learn about differences, health insurance, health care, plans.

Health Care and Medical Plans
Find information on healthcare, health care plans, different types of health insurance.


U.S. Department of Health & Human Services


Social determinants of health. The solid facts
Edited by Richard Wilkinson and Michael Marmot
October 2003
"(...) This publication examines this social gradient in health, and explains how psychological and social influences affect physical health and longevity. It then looks at what is known about the most important social determinants of health today, and the role that public policy can play in shaping a social environment that is more conducive to better health."
- incl. the following determinants: The social gradient - Stress - Early life - Social exclusion - Work - Unemployment - Social support - Addiction - Food - Transport
Brief Intro
+ ordering info + link to free online report
Complete report (PDF file - 474K, 33 pages)
Source:
World Health Organization
Regional Office for Europe


The State of the World’s Children, 2009:
Maternal and Newborn Health

January 2009
"The State of the World's Children 2009 examines critical issues in maternal and newborn health, underscoring the need to establish a comprehensive continuum of care for mothers, newborns and children. The report outlines the latest paradigms in health programming and policies for mothers and newborns, and explores policies, programmes and partnerships aimed at improving maternal and neonatal health. Africa and Asia are a key focus for this report, which complements the previous year's issue on child survival."

[ Previous editions of The State of the World's Children reports - back to 1996]

Source:
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)


Health at a Glance: OECD Indicators 2003
October 2003
"...brings together the latest comparable data and trends concerning health status and risks, the activity and resources of health care systems, as well as health expenditure and financing across the 30 OECD countries. It contains a larger set of indicators than the previous edition. Overall, more than 30 indicators are presented.
NOTE: You have to purchase the book OECD Health Data 2003 (available on line at SourceOECD or on CD-ROM from the OECD’s online bookshop) for the detailed data
- incl. free info about Canada (among other countries) in country reports and eight charts covering a range of topics, from health expenditure as a percentage of GDP (2001) and health expenditure by source of funding (2000) to acute care beds per 1000 population (2000) and increasing obesity rates among the adult population...
OECD Health Data 2003 - Frequently asked data - 20 tables to " offer a sample of variables that can be found in OECD Health Data 2003, including data from the 1st Internet update (July 9, 2003).
- incl. country comparisons of life expectancy, infant mortality, expenditures on health, acute care beds / hospital discharges per 1000 population, alcohol and tobacco consumption, % of population 65 years old and over, and more...
Health at a Glance – OECD Indicators 2003 Briefing note (Canada) - October 2003 (PDF file - 20K, 3 pages)
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)


State Health Facts Online (U.S.)
"Provided by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, State Health Facts discloses important health and health policy information for all fifty states and US territories. Data are divided into ten categories -- demographics and the economy, health status, health coverage and uninsured, medicaid and CHIP, medicare, health costs and budgets, managed care and health insurance, providers and service use, women's health, minority health, and HIV/ AIDS -- and are displayed as tables, rankings, graphs, or color-coded maps. Users may access individual state profiles and then compare them to other states, or the US as a whole. Also available is a complete list of all the categories, subcategories, and topics that are available on the State Health Facts Online site; links to over 40 Kaiser Family Foundation reports and related resources; a glossary; methodology; and contact information."
Reviewed by The Scout Report (July 19, 2002)

Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2002
Related Link:
Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation


National Institutes of Health (NICHD) - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) seeks to assure that every individual is born healthy, is born wanted, and has the opportunity to fulfill his or her potential for a healthy and productive life unhampered by disease or disability. In pursuit of this mission, the NICHD conducts and supports laboratory, clinical, and epidemiological research on the reproductive, neurobiologic, developmental, and behavioral processes that determine and maintain the health of children, adults, families, and populations.

See the impressive list of almost 40 Institutes, Centers and Offices attached to the NICHD - you'll find links to health information covering a wide range of topics such as cancer, genome research, alcohol and drug abuse, mental health, nursing research, global health, and much more.
Here are links to just two of the institutes of the NICHD:
National Institute of Aging (NIA)
The National Institute on Aging is a component of the NICHD that is devoted to improving the health of older people.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
NICHD research on fertility, pregnancy, growth, development, and medical rehabilitation strives to ensure that every child is born healthy and wanted and grows up free from disease and disability.


"Measuring Up"- Improving Health Systems Performance in OECD Countries
OECD Health Conference on Performance Measurement and Reporting
5-7 November 2001, The Westin Hotel, Ottawa, Canada
- incl. links to conference programme - abstracts - speaker biographies - list of participants - registration - info fair - participants information - media information - related sites


The 2000 Green Book of Entitlement Programs
Background Material and Data on Programs within the Jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means
October 2000 

By the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE)
The Green Book consists of background material and data on programs within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means of the U.S. House of Representatives. It is compiled by the staff of the Committee from many sources and it provides program descriptions and historical data on a wide variety of social and economic topics, including Social Security, employment, earnings, welfare, child support, health insurance, disability, the elderly, families with children, national and international health care expenditures and health insurance coverage, poverty and taxation. It has become a standard reference work for those interested in the direction of social policy in the United States.

- incl. links to earlier editions of the Green Book for 1994, 1996 and 1998
Source:
Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) (principal advisor to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services)


Social Statistics Briefing Room - U.S.
Here you will find the most recent statistics on:

- Crime

- Demographics

- Education

- Health Care Reform


International Reform Monitor (from the Bertelsmann Foundation [see below]- Europe)
This Bertelsmann Foundation website gives a wide range of well-selected information on social policy (health care, pensions provision, family policy, state welfare), labour market policy and industrial relations in 15 OECD countries: Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States of America.

The Bertelsmann Foundation (Europe)
Working on more than 180 projects (as of December 2000) in the fields of Economics, State and Public Administration, Media, Politics, Public Libraries, Medicine and Health Service, Philanthropy and Foundations, Culture and Universities, the Bertelsmann Foundation wants to help solve current social problems.
- See the Bertelsmann Foundation sitemap for an overview of what you'll find on this large site.


Tackling Inequalities: 10 Years On
A review of developments in tackling health inequalities in England over the last 10 years

May 7, 2009
Tackling Health Inequalities: 10 Years On examines the changes in policies, determinants and outcomes that have shaped health inequalities in England over the last 10 years and sets out the key lessons and challenges. It provides the context and background for the recently announced post-2010 strategic review of health inequalities commissioned to look forward to 2020 and beyond."
NOTE - to access the complete report (PDF - 3.8MB),
click the link above and, on the next page that opens, click the download link at the bottom of the text box.

Source:
United Kingdom Department of Health
[ Found in a Blog posting by nimira
from The Wellesley Institute ]

Related link:

Government Response to The Health Select Committee Report on Health Inequalities
U.K. Department of Health
22 May 2009
This Government response addresses, in turn, the individual conclusions and recommendations of the Committee’s report. (...) It acknowledges that there is still much to learn and that this learning – including through evidence, audit and evaluation – will continue to inform the development of our approach now and in the future.
NOTE - to access the complete report(PDF - 1.1MB),
click the link above and, on the next page that opens, click the download link at the bottom of the text box.

More reports on health inequalities in England - from the Department of Health


World Health Organization (WHO)
WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.

Inequities are killing people on a "grand scale"
28 August 2008 -- Differences in mortality between - and within - countries result from the social environment where people are born, live, grow, work and age. These "social determinants of health" have been the focus of a three-year investigation. The recommendations from this investigation, released today, focus on policies to redress social equalities globally, nationally and locally.

Final Report of the
Commission on Social Determinants of Health
(main page)
- includes links to the news release, backgrounders, the executive summary in six languages, links to the complete report and individual chapters, streaming video of the news conference and an interview with the chair of the Commission about the report

Closing the gap in a generation : Health equity
through action on the social determinants of health

Executive summary (PDF - 4.3MB,
Complete report (PDF - 7.3MB, 256 pages)
NOTE: See "The report in sections" on the main page for links to the individual chapters of the report in PDF format

News Release - August 28, 2008

Other publications of the
Commission on Social Determinants of Health

Related links:

The Commission on Social Determinants of Health - what, why and how?
The Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) is a global network of policy makers, researchers and civil society organizations1 brought together by the World Health Organization (WHO) to give support in tackling the social causes of poor health and avoidable health inequalities (health inequities).

NOTE: One the Commission members is Monique Bégin, currently Professor at the School of Management, University of Ottawa, Canada, and former Minister of National Health and Welfare.
On the Comments from Commissioners page, Madame Bégin notes: "Canada likes to brag that for seven years in a row the United Nations voted us "the best country in the world in which to live". Do all Canadians share equally in that great quality of life? No they don't. The truth is that our country is so wealthy that it manages to mask the reality of food banks in our cities, of unacceptable housing (1 in 5), of young Inuit adults very high suicide rates. This report is a wake up call for action towards truly living up to our reputation."

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World Health Organization: The Department of Gender, Women and Health
The World Health Organization’s Department of Gender, Women and Health (GWH) “brings attention to the ways in which biological and social differences between women and men affect health and the steps needed to achieve health equity.” On their homepage, visitors can look at the right-hand side to get quick information about upcoming events sponsored by the GWH, read their monthly update, and also click on a link that will take them to the latest publications from the GWH team. On the left-hand side of the page, visitors can learn more about some of their specific areas of interest, including work on gender-based violence, gender and HIV/AIDS, and gender mainstreaming. Additionally, the “Gender and other health topics” area includes information sheets on gender and blindness, gender and mental health, as well as many other topics.
Review by:
The Scout Report
, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2007


RxList - The Internet Drug Index

 

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