Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Association of Ontario Health Centres
Report calls for comprehensive network of Community Health Centres
Ontario's high level of economic insecurity reported earlier today by the Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW) is impacting other areas of people's lives, leading to increased demand for health services and supports, according to the Association of Ontario Health Centres (AOHC.)
"Our primary health care centres are seeing many more low and middle income working people and their families seeking support to deal with the many different physical and mental health stresses of making ends meet," said AOHC CEO Adrianna Tetley. "This new report tells us why. It shows that during the 17 years covered in the study, there has been a 27.1% decrease in economic security for people living in Ontario."
Today's release of the "How are Ontarians Really Doing" report highlights that people living in Ontario are feeling acute economic anxiety. Unlike the GDP, living standards in Ontario have not shown signs of recovering post-recession.
According to the CIW research, although Ontario's percentage of persons in low income is at the lowest (8.8%) it has been between 1994 to 2010, low and middle income working individuals and families are feeling more and more vulnerable and struggling with wildly fluctuating living standards that lag far behind the rest of Canada. Income inequality in Ontario also remains another "sobering reality," according to the study.
Cate Melito, AOHC Board Chair and Executive Director of the Woodstock and Area Community Health Centres (CHC), notes the physical and mental health impacts of economic anxiety in her region. "We're seeing a wide range of stresses: more time-crunched parents juggling multiple low-paying jobs, people struggling to manage their chronic diseases because they don't have the time to learn the skills or the money to pay for the extra support they need. There are also families who face difficulties paying for medicine ---not just prescriptions but over-the-counter drugs like cough medicine and aspirin. And more families are struggling to buy necessities such as toothpaste and tampons. Imagine not being able to pay for your children's cavities to be fixed and wondering how you are going to pay next month's rent," she says. "These stresses are making people sick, both physically and mentally."
In response many of AOHC member centres have expanded services and programs that enhance the resilience of the communities in tough times. For example, the Woodstock and area CHC is working with multiple partners, mounting multi-pronged initiatives to improve the community's "sense of belonging," a key indicator of health and wellbeing.
In other parts of the province CHCs are running extensive food security programs, economic development and housing initiatives, peer learning groups for populations that face barriers finding employment, and many different self-help groups. For individuals and families whose incomes are falling, the centre also offers counseling on how to access social assistance supports.
Melito also stated that the CIW's findings show that governments need to be much more proactive applying an "upstream approach" that prevents illness and disease before they take hold." One way Ontario's provincial government can work upstream and prevent illness is to expand access to Community Health Centres that support communities weathering tough economic times," she said.
The call for expanded access to CHCs was echoed in today's CIW report which said "CHCs have shown that the most effective, efficient, and affordable means of delivering primary health care is through an "upstream approach."
The report recommended the province create a comprehensive CHC network that enables people in all parts of the province to access their benefits. Currently only four percent of people living in Ontario have access to CHCs.
Media Contact:
Sofia Ramirez
Association of Ontario Health Centres
647-278-7926
sofia@aohc.org
|