The social determinants of health are the key focus of the Health Accord which was tasked to find a way to improve the health care system and outcomes.
Newfoundland and Labrador has some of the worst health statistics in the country, with high rates of cigarette and alcohol use, diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. Co-chair Sister Elizabeth Davis says a big contributor to the province’s overall health outcomes is related to social issues, including poverty.
She says ill health has the highest relationship with poverty. They are looking at concepts like a basic income for all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians that would have to be carried out with the federal government to improve food and housing security. They’re also looking at improving health for children at risk, children in care, or children with medically-complex needs.
Psychologist Dr. Janine Hubbard
Meanwhile, the President of the Psychologists Association of Newfoundland and Labrador supports the use of more integrated primary health care teams in helping to assess and care for patients.
Dr. Janine Hubbard was responding to the Health Accord and finding a new way to deliver health care services to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.
She says the idea of an integrated primary health care team is not new, it’s something both the NLMA and the Psychologists Association have been advocating for some time.
She says the ALPN put forward a proposal to government back in 2017 proposing integrated teams that include psychologists. She says the model is working in other jurisdictions where psychologists are working as part of health care teams.
Hubbard warns of a psychology crisis as more psychologists leave the public sector.
