Reducing Health Disparities - Roles of the Health Sector: Discussion Paper Prepared by the Health Disparities Task Group of the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Advisory Committee on Population Health and Health Security December 2004 PDF version (31 pages, 228 KB)

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The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Table Of Contents

• Paper Highlights
• Introduction: Why Disparities Matter
• PART I
  What We Know About Health Disparities
  1. Health disparities in Canada: where we stand
  2. The causes and costs of health disparities
  3. The potential economic benefit of reducing health disparities
  4. Does health care reduce or increase disparities?
  5. Public health, prevention and other challenges
  6. Where to focus efforts
• PART II
  Reducing Health Disparities: History, Options and Best Practices
  1. Canadian approaches to disparities: 30 years of vision and policy
  2. International approaches to reducing health disparities
  3. Current Canadian strategies for reducing health disparities
• PART III
  Key Opportunities for Reducing Disparities
  1. Take an integrated approach to disadvantaged populations
  2. Focus on four key policy directions for the health sector
  3. Conclusion
• Key Terms and Definitions
• Notes and References

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© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Health (2005)
Cat. N° HP5-4/2005
ISBN 0-662-69313-2

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the members from across Canada of the Health Disparities Task Group of the Advisory Committee on Population Health and Health Security, who shared in the responsibility of developing and completing this report.

In addition, we would like to recognize the work of the following people, who were contracted to contribute to the development of the report through research and writing: Steven Lewis, Katherine Frohlich, Nancy Ross, Susan Swanson and Diane Kinnon.

We would also like to thank the many people who provided input to the development of the report, including people from all parts of Canada who attended the CIHR (Canadian Institutes of Health Research) Health Disparities and Promoting Equity for Vulnerable Populations initiative Think Tank in Ottawa, September 2003, and the Health Disparities Policy Forum consultation in Ottawa, March 2004, hosted jointly by CIHR, the Canadian Population Health Initiative, Health Canada and the Health Disparities Task Group.

Thanks are also due to staff at the Public Health Agency of Canada (previously Health Canada), Heather Fraser, Brenda Steinmetz, Diane Alfred and Mana Herel, as well as to Laura Donatelli of Manitoba Health, all of whom provided advice and policy expertise in developing the report.

The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the Health Disparities Task Group and the Advisory Committee on Population Health and Health Security and do not necessarily reflect the official views of Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, the provincial/territorial jurisdictions, or other organizations and specific individuals that contributed to this project.

Jim Ball, Co-Chair
Joel Kettner, Co-Chair

Health Disparities Task Group Members

Co-Chairs
Joel Kettner	(Co-Chair) Manitoba Health
Jim Ball	(Co-Chair) Public Health Agency of Canada
Heather Fraser	Public Health Agency of Canada
Members:
Dianne Alexander	Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
Elizabeth Gyorfi-Dyke	Canadian Institute for Health Information
Jean-Marie Berthelot	Statistics Canada
John Frank	Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Louise Potvin	University of Montreal
Nicholas Baylis	Alberta Health and Wellness
Michael Hayes	Simon Fraser University
Michael Mendelson	Caledon Institute of Social Policy
Katherine Scott	Canadian Council on Social Development
Miriam Stewart	Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Ken Ross	New Brunswick Health and Wellness
Madeleine Dion Stout	Non-government
Erica Di Ruggiero	Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Earlier Members:
Halina Cyr	Health Canada
Carmen Connolly	Canadian Institute for Health Information
Gary Catlin	Statistics Canada
John Millar	Canadian Institute for Health Information
Secretariat:
Rushi Buckshi	Public Health Agency of Canada

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