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Views of the Rideau Waterway from Rock Dunder

May 30 2019

Indigenous Health Equity Webinars and Resources


Register for our free Indigenous Health Equity course to learn more about Indigenous peoples and the challenges, successes, and strategies that may assist people who work with Indigenous peoples living in First Nations communities and in urban settings. By registering for the course, you'll gain access to four webinars on the following topics: 

  • A 2 Spirited Story of Gender, Sexuality and Traditional Roles for Health Care Providers
  • Seeing through Two Eyes: Indigenous and Public Health
  • Being Healthy Together/Mamwi: Indigenous Engagement and Planning in Public Health
  • Decolonizing Data: Principles for Public Health Research Involving Indigenous Communities 

Along with the webinars, you'll find all pre-readings, an online talking circle, and an extensive list of suggested resources for further exploration. You'll also receive a certificate of completion upon watching all four webinars.

You need to register to access these materials, but it's a quick and easy process (and free). If you've already registered, look for theLogin link near the top-right of your screen.

Register or return to the Indigenous Health Equity course materials


Summer Update


As we enter the summer months, PHESC in Focus updates will be sent bi-weekly or monthly. As always, feel free to send us any training-related resources, courses or events that you'd like us to feature in the newsletter!


Partner Profile


Every month, we'll be highlighting one of our PHESC partners. This month, we're pleased to introduce Sume Ndumbe-Eyoh from the National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health. 

 

Where do you live? I live and work in Toronto, the ancestral Indigenous territory of the Mississauga’s of the New Credit, Wendat, Chippewa, Haudenosaunee and Anishnaabeg.

 
Where do you work? I am a Senior Knowledge Translation Specialist with the National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health.
 
What are some current projects that you’re working on? I am working on an initiative to strengthen the capacity of public health organizations to improve health equity. The project brings together a learning circle of researchers and practitioners to explore evidence and practice on the organizational practices and conditions required to support health equity action.

What are you most excited for as a PHESC partner? We have delivered workshops on racial equity in public health. We are already hearing about organizations using this to influence their work. I am excited to see how this will be incorporated into the activities and practice of more organizations.

What long-term impact do you hope PHESC will have on the public health workforce in Ontario? There are lots of resources being produced through PHESC partners. I am hopeful that these will provide the field with accessible high-quality information that is relevant to practice. Ultimately, this will contribute to better decision-making and healthier and more equitable communities across the province.
 
What’s the last book you read? I am currently reading Policing Black Lives: State Violence in Canada from Slavery to the Present by Robyn Maynard which is a succinct survey of the experiences and impacts of state policies and practices on Black bodies in Canada.

Milford Sound

A photo taken by Sume: Milford Sound, New Zealand


Webinar - Putting health in EAs: The how-tos of a 'health assessment'


12 p.m. - 1 p.m. (EST)
Thursday June 13, 2019
This webinar is held by Ontario Public Health Association (OPHA)'s Built Environment Workgroup.

Public Health and Environmental Assessments 101
The Environmental Assessment process is an opportunity for Public Health to influence infrastructure projects for positive health outcomes. However, in a survey conducted by the OPHA Built Environment Workgroup in 2017, many health units in Ontario identified low levels of knowledge about how the EA process works and how to effectively contribute, while also expressing interest in increasing their involvement.

This 4-part OPHA webinar series commenced in October 2018 and is intended to provide public health professionals with an introduction to the function of EAs, how the process works, why public health should contribute, and how to provide effective input. Time for questions and answers are included in each webinar and recordings are available on the OPHA website. Please click here for more information on previous webinars.

Webinar #4 – Putting Health in Environmental Assessments: The ‘how-to’ of Health Assessments
This webinar presentation will focus on the steps required to conduct or participate in a health assessment as an element (or as a standalone) of an EA. The aim is to highlight for webinar participants some of the questions they should be asking when deciding whether to get involved in an EA, and how to effectively participate once health is invited to the table.

  • Learn - how using a health assessment approach can help to address psychosocial aspects of a project like a landfill, e.g., negativity about proximity, etc.
  • Understand - the ‘Checklist of Steps’ needed to advance the use of health assessments in EAs, including screening, as a pre-step to determining how a health unit decides whether a health assessment is required as part of the EA process.
  • Introduction – to a list of resources that a health unit can access when conducting a health assessment as part of the EA process.

In addition, this webinar will seek input from participants on some barriers and opportunities they have when participating in EAs, and how OPHA can provide further support to health units. We will also request participants to provide feedback via a survey, not just on this webinar series, but also future webinars that OPHA could host to foster knowledge-sharing and development in the public health community.

Click here to sign up for the webinar.