Health Equity

Data

The Halton Region Health Department uses data to understand local health inequities. Population health reports include health outcomes by income and level of education. Due to data limitations, it is not always possible to show health outcomes by other social determinants of health. However, it still provides important information because income and education are linked to other social determinants of health. View reports.

Health Equity Impact Assessment (HEIA) tool

The Halton Region Health Department uses the HEIA tool to bring an equity lens to program planning. This tool:

• Helps staff to consider the needs of priority populations when making decisions about program planning
• Encourages teams to think about ways to reduce the potential negative impacts of a proposed policy or program

Watch this HEIA video, which uses a baseball analogy to explain the 5 simple steps of HEIA (YouTube video).

Performance indicators

The Halton Region Health Department uses performance indicators to monitor performance and assess progress on efforts to reduce local health inequities. These indicators measure local priorities and will be used measure progress over time. Read the Health Equity Performance Indicators report.

Staff education

The Halton Region Health Department provides staff education. Staff members must take an education session about the social determinants of health and health equity. Read the staff education evaluation summary (PDF file).