Learning from Practice: Joint Action for Equity - Working together to holistically support the underhoused population during COVID-19
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This Joint Action for Equity story is part of the Learning from Practice Series.
This and other stories from the Joint Action for Equity project — a collaboration of the National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health (NCCDH) and National Collaborating Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCCID) — highlight principles and practices that support improved relationships between public health and primary care, and the important role of communities in strengthening health systems.
This collection of stories provides examples of multisectoral partnerships and considerations for advancing the principles of primary health care and health for all.
This practice example illustrates how community organizations, primary care, public health, and housing agencies collaborated to improve population health and health equity.
The story demonstrates the importance of putting relationships at the center of the work that organizations, agencies and public health does to support care and services for people made vulnerable by their housing situation. Flexibility, adaptability, and a willingness to alter one’s course of action were essential for this approach to succeed and to ensure health equity was maintained during a time of uncertainty.
The lessons learned from this collaborative response between a community organization, primary care and public health can support public health to enhance multisectoral action, relationship-building, and advocacy on the determinants of health to improve health equity.
Use this resource to:
- facilitate discussion with an example of how relationships and flexible processes are integral parts of equitable interventions, practices, and policies,
- recognize the power of engaged communities and multisectoral collaboration to support and enhance the efforts of public health and primary care in advancing health equity, and
- build support for formalized networks and improved collaboration between public health, primary care, and community organizations.
Related Resources
Reflections on the relationship between public health and primary care (2021)
Establishing a new interface between public health and primary care: A curated list (2021)
Let’s Talk: Advocacy and health equity
Let’s Talk: Community engagement for health equity
Equity in Action: Island Health response teams mitigate impacts of COVID-19 in underhoused populations
Reference
National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health. (2023). Learning from Practice: Joint Action for Equity - Working together to holistically support the underhoused population during COVID-19. Antigonish, NS: NCCDH, St. Francis Xavier University.
Tags: COVID-19, Housing, Partner with other sectors, Document, Case Study, Learning from Practice