What is Health Equity?
Taking a health equity approach within Youth Wellness Hubs Ontario (YWHO) includes recognizing that the systems we live in were not build to care for and serve everyone. A health equity approach means planning intentionally, and taking concrete action to reduce and remove disparities. The goal of health equity is for all people to reach their full potential, highest attainable level of health, and receive the highest quality of care.
Examples of health equities vs. inequities are:
| Health Equities | Health Inequities |
|---|---|
|
|
Video:
Video:
Why Health Equity?
There is a strong history, up to and including present day, of grassroots and community advocacy calling for institutions to be more transparent and accountable to the people (internationally, across Canada, and in Ontario). Much of this work has pushed for institutions to formally count and document inequities that exist in their service provision and amongst positive outcomes for clients, allocation of resources, staffing, and pay, amongst other things.
The Truth and Reconciliation Report is one strong example that has concrete Calls to Action, which include explicit language around monitoring and accessing health inequities. Ontario’s Black Youth Action Plan Community Engagement Report has highlighted the importance of having access to race-based data throughout Ontario’s systems. Wisdom2Action highlights the importance of evaluating, measuring, and collecting sociodemographic data as crucial to strengthening and refining 2SLGBTQ+ inclusion and services, and helping organizations and service providers do justice by, for and with 2SLGBTQ+ communities.
In Ontario, there is legislation across many sectors requiring that an equity approach be taken, some of which has been built on by the current government. For example, the Excellent Care for All Act defines equity as a critical component of quality health care. We know that there is a strong association between experiences of discrimination and lower quality of life. Literature also shows a direct link between reducing health inequities and reducing health care costs.
There are also ethical reasons for health equity:
- To reduce human suffering and harm; and
- To promote the highest quality of life and of service for all - regardless of gender, ability, race, and income.
