The Social Health & Equity Network in Primary Care in Canada was developed to facilitate connections among the growing community of primary care providers interested in taking action to reduce health inequities and act on social determinants of health to improve health outcomes in Canada. Because of its community grounding and holistic understanding of health, primary care is well situated to address social risks to health. There is a long history of seeking to understand these risks and their impact, and a growing movement to develop approaches to addressing them directly.
This network is intended to be dynamic and responsive, evolving with the interests, needs, and feedback from its members. It is hoped this network will catalyze the building of communities of interest, partnerships, innovative projects, and advocacy alliances among members. We look forward to hearing stories of success, and to receiving feedback and ideas for further development and change.
This network and website was conceived by Gary Bloch, a family physician in Toronto, Senior Fellow with the Wellesley Institute and 2018-2020 AMS Phoenix Fellow with a longstanding interest in addressing social risks to health. He collaborated closely in its creation with Nazeefah Laher, a medical student and former Wellesley Institute junior fellow. Funding has been provided by the Wellesley Institute and AMS Foundation.