About UsHealth Equity

What Determines Our Health?

Many things affect our health. Along with our genes and personal choices, the places we are born, grow up, live, work, and age all play a big role. These are called social determinants of health, and they can help or harm our health.

The social determinants of health include:

Education, literacy and skills
Income
Job and working conditions
Housing and living conditions
How we grow up as kids (early childhood development)
Having enough food (food insecurity)
Access to healthcare
Race and racism
Being Indigenous
Feeling included or left out (social inclusion / exclusion)
Gender
Sexual identity
Living with a disability
Culture
Support from family and friends

These things can affect our health more than healthcare or your genes. Eating healthy food and staying active are important, but our life situations also shape how healthy we can be.

We suggest watching this video to learn more about how health is affected by the social determinants of health.

What is Health Equity?

Health equity means that everyone has a fair chance to be healthy. No matter your age, education, income, race, gender, or other personal factors, you should have the same opportunities for good health. To reach health equity, we need to address unfair health differences that can be prevented.

Equality vs Equity

Many people often think equality and equity mean the same thing, but they have different meanings.

Equality means treating everyone the same.
Equity means giving people the support they need based on their situation.

The image below shows the difference between equality and equity. Equality means giving everyone the same size and style of bike, but that might not work for everyone. Some people might have trouble riding or might not be able to ride at all. Equity is when each person gets a bike that fits them well, so everyone can ride comfortably.

When we treat people equitably, we make sure everyone gets the support they need to succeed. By working together to remove barriers that make it harder for some people to be healthy, we all have a better chance to live a healthy life.

At CK Public Health, we work to protect and improve the health of everyone in Chatham-Kent. We partner with our community to create fair and healthy policies that reduce health gaps and give everyone the chance to thrive.

Working Together for Health Equity

We want to create a welcoming, supportive, and fair community where everyone has the chance to be as healthy as possible. Here’s how we make health equity a priority and how you can too:

We want our services to feel safe and welcoming for all people. That means listening to different voices when we plan public health programs, so they meet the needs of our community. We use words and pictures that include everyone, so people feel respected and valued. This includes members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community, people from different racial and cultural backgrounds, immigrants and newcomers, people with disabilities, and families of all kinds. You can help by supporting places that include everyone, listening to people who may be ignored, and making sure everyone is treated fairly.

We support Truth and Reconciliation and want to improve the health of Indigenous community members. In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) created 94 Calls to Action to help Canada heal and build a fairer future for Indigenous Peoples. These actions work to fix past harms and create positive change. As public health professionals, we support reconciliation through learning, partnerships, and meaningful actions. You can help by learning about Indigenous health challenges and supporting efforts to make things better. Read more about the 94 Calls to Action here.

Stigma happens when people are judged negatively because of who they are, their health, or their actions. It can lead to unfair treatment and hurt both their mental and physical health. Stigma often leads to discrimination, which can happen between people or in bigger systems. We work to reduce stigma by sharing correct information about things like substance use, mental health, HIV, and more. We do this by educating our staff, teaching the public, using respectful language, and including anti-stigma ideas in our work. You can help by using respectful language, standing up against unfair treatment, and learning about different people's experiences to challenge false beliefs.

It is important to understand why health isn't the same for everyone. Things like money, housing, racism, and access to food can have a big impact on people's health. We take time to think about our own experiences and beliefs to find ways to make our community more equitable. We encourage you to do the same. We can all speak up for better services, programs, and policies that help everyone have a fair chance at good health.

Healthcare should be affordable, welcoming, and easy to access. Some people face problems like not having enough money, trouble getting transportation, or language barriers that make it hard to get care. We work to reduce these challenges so everyone can get the care they need. You can help by supporting policies that make healthcare easier to get and sharing resources with loved ones, so they know where to find care.

The Municipality of Chatham-Kent has a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice Strategy to make sure policies and decisions are fair for everyone. The plan helps build a workforce that reflects the diverse people in the community, makes sure everyone can be a part of local decisions, and includes diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice into policies. We can all help by talking about health equity, how the social determinants of health affect health, and supporting ideas and programs that create positive change.   

Together, we can create a more equitable and healthier Chatham-Kent for all.

The Importance of Sociodemographic Data

Sociodemographic data is information about people’s backgrounds and life situations. It includes:

Age
Gender
Race
Ethnicity
Religion
Education level
Income
Job status
Where they live

This data helps us understand what different groups need, find health gaps, and create programs that make health achievable for everyone. CK Public Health uses this information to see which communities have more health risks or struggle to get care. Then, they can make better plans to support people who need it most. 

Some CK Public Health programs collect sociodemographic data to improve our services. If we gather this information, we keep it private and only use it to make sure our services are fair, helpful, and accessible to all.

About UsHealth Equity

What Determines Our Health?

What is Health Equity?

Equality vs Equity

Working Together for Health Equity

The Importance of Sociodemographic Data

About Us

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