10. Social Justice and Equity Flashcards
horizontal action
Horizontal links are created when partnerships are formed at the same level.
For instance, to deal with an outbreak of infection in a day carecentre, the health district’s environmental health officer and community nurse,the school board’s preschool education specialist, and the social worker from
children’s services may be involved in the follow-up action.
vertical collaboration
vertical collaboration, to set health policy regarding tobacco, a health region will work with the federal health department, the provincial health ministry, and the municipality, all of whom have different jurisdictions in policy development and enforcement
Social Justice
The fair distribution of society’s benefits, responsibilities and their consequences
Defining Attributes of Social Justice
list 4-10
Equity
Human rights
Democracy & civil rights
Capacity building
Just institutions
Enabling environments
Poverty reduction
Ethical practice
Advocacy
Partnerships
Equity in Health
The absence of differences in health that are systematic and avoidable and, therefore, unfair and unjust
perspective where everyone has the right to…
Opportunities for health
Full participation in society
Nondiscrimination
Housing First
ensure that people have safe and affordable shelter in
place before being discharged from hospital
Is the following statement True or False?
Health equity guarantees that everyone will have the same health outcomes.
False
Health equity is focused on the principle that all groups in a population should have equal opportunities for health. It does not mean that these opportunities will yield identical health outcomes for all people.
Oppression
An experience of repeated, widespread systemic injustice
Discrimination
in health care settings is a barrier to receiving health care services
- conveyed through opinions, attitudes, and behaviours of staff
Results in health disparities within Canada, most significantly related to
Socioeconomic status
Indigenous identity
Gender
Geographic location
Barriers to a Focus on Health Equity
- Dominance of the illness paradigm
- Focus of the health care system on illness care
- Limited view of health as the responsibility of the health care sector
- Lack of health conversation across sectors and between levels of government
- Pervasive focus on individual change rather than social change
- Ignoring social injustice
Some of the most significant health disparities in Canada are related to:
- Education
- Culture
- Socioeconomic Status
- Employment/Working Conditions
C. Socioeconomic Status
Although education, culture, and employment/ working conditions are important determinants of health and can lead to health disparities, socioeconomic status is currently an area of great concern for Canada as poverty and social inequalities are root causes of many poor health outcomes
nutcracker pressure for action
- action requires top-down political commitment combined with bottom-up pressure from communities and civil society groups.
- Adding horizontal pressure from those who witness the effects of health inequities every day in their professional practices would help strengthen action.
Barriers to Healthy Public Policy
Clarity issues
Lack of public awareness
Limited political will
Weak dissemination of information
Is the following statement True or False?
The promotion of social justice and health equity occurs primarily at organizational, political, and policy levels.
False
The promotion of social justice and equity occurs at various levels of society. Although institutions and governments have significant roles to play, there are also many opportunities in day-to-day practice to work toward fostering social justice and achieving health equity.
