The Impact of Social and Material Inequities on Health Care in the Erie-St. Clair LHIN

Despite evidence that investing in health equity increases overall population health for a fraction of the cost of investing in acute care and medical treatment, only five percent of Canadian healthcare dollars are allocated for public health, a fraction of which is spent on addressing health inequity. The purpose of this research study is to examine the impact of social and material inequities on healthcare in the Erie-St. Clair Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), with a focus on the Social Determinants of Health. During the review of the literature, it was found that overall materially and socially deprived patients fared much worse in all aspects of healthcare, including access, utilization, outcomes and cost, than those in who were not deprived. In fact, positive healthcare outcomes increase steadily as one moves up the spectrum from the most deprived to the least deprived. No studies were found that examined this occurrence in the Erie-St. Clair LHIN. This research study will enable the LHIN to focus their efforts on the specific Social Determinants that are affecting healthcare in Erie-St. Clair. This will be a mixed-methods study including archived data analysis to aggregate data on a population level and qualitative in-person interviews and telephone surveys to establish individual level data with residents and stakeholders. This funded study is currently in the planning stages, and no conclusions or results are evident yet. However, based on the literature, it is evident that there is an absolute need for investment in health equity and the socioeconomic model of healthcare versus the medical model