Health and well-being are shaped by social and economic factors known as the social determinants of health (SDH). These are defined as the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age. These circumstances are shaped by the distribution of money, power, and resources at global, national, and local levels.
SDH Best Advice Guide
The CFPC Best Advice Guide on the Social Determinants of Health provides practical, hands-on advice for health professionals on how to improve their patients’ social determinants of health. It is divided into four main sections:
- A background on the social determinants of health
- The importance of these issues for patient and population health
- Commonly identified challenges to action
- Incorporation of the social determinants of health into your practice
SDH Grants
- In 2019, the BCCFP awarded eight one-time grants of $5,000 to enable members to create resources or initiate projects in their communities that could help BC family physicians address the social determinants of health (SDH).
- Projects took place in both rural and urban areas of the province and addressed different populations and their needs, from new mothers on a small island to Indigenous people living in downtown Vancouver. A spectrum of care providers brought their expertise to the projects.
- We are pleased to present a report summarizing each unique project and its outcomes. You will see a clear pattern in the importance and benefit of caring for the whole person, taking into consideration their mental health, social connectedness, economic well-being and access to basic needs.
- The report includes links to tools to support your practice.
- We hope you enjoy reading about these projects and that your imagination is sparked with new ideas for addressing the SDH in your practice.
Poverty Tool
The Poverty Tool provides specific resources to help family physicians and other health care providers screen for, and respond to, poverty concerns in their patients. It is designed for quick and intuitive use in your day-to-day practice.
Originally created by the Centre for Effective Practice (CEP) for use in Ontario, the Poverty Tool was adapted for use in BC by the CFPC with support from the Kootenay Boundary Department of Family Practice. The BC version of the Poverty Tool incorporates local resources and supports.
Social Justice Lens
The BCCFP has adopted the Social Justice Lens, a tool developed by the Social Accountability Working Group of the CFPC. This tool is designed to help our Board of Directors, committees, working groups and members apply social justice principles to their work.
Social justice is the pursuit and/or attainment of equity in society. It focuses on addressing the social determinants of health (SDH) and minimizing their negative effects on the health of an individual.
The tool can help to facilitate and ongoing dialogue around social justice and equity for high-level decisions made by your committee or working group at three levels of socially accountable care: micro, meso and macro.
Download the Social Justice Lens Tool.
