Highlights from the sessions on health
Data to impact case study:
Using data to unite, collaborate and advance equity
Katie Kalvoda
Founder and CEO, G3 Ventures; Advance OC
In 2019 Katie Kalvoda created the non profit called Advance OC partnered with Social Progress Imperative to create the Orange County Equity Map. Today it is an award winning orange county equity map.
Through the pandemic Advance OC knew that living conditions determine health outcomes. People who lived in poor households and environmental conditions were disproportionately impacted by the virus. In early stages of the pandemic, Advance OC created a risk model. This was a heat map that showed us who was most vulnerable to infection in Orange County.
"We realized that living conditions determine health outcomes, but more than that, living conditions determine life outcomes.We have to ask this in the public health domain, in the public policy domain. If we are truly treating patients for their health, why are we sending them back to the conditions that make them sick?"
Katie Kalvoda explained.
Dialogue:
Intersection of climate and health outcomes
Dr. Elizabeth Baca,
Specialist Leader for Health Care and Life Science Strategy,
Deloitte Consulting
Deborah Sills,
Principal, Deloitte Consulting
We are seeing changes to our physical world in a way we have never seen before. In the US alone in 2021 we saw a historic deep freeze in the state of Texas. In addition, the hardest summer on record. The driest month in California since the State began collecting data. 21 hurricanes in the single year of 2021 across the world. Think about these impacts on communities. We are seeing economic fluctuations, after COVID this has become very sharp. People who are living in these under-resourced communities in economic fluctuation times are more likely to be losing their jobs and potentially losing their homes and potentially struggling to feed their families. What are those social and economic determinants of health and how does that impact the health and wellbeing of our communities?
When we talk about climate change or sustainability we don't often think about the health connections that are impacting us. We are already seeing these health impacts now.
Some strategies to build climate resilience and innovation: Set climate resiliency as an enterprise strategy, create a role focused on climate resiliency, take a comprehensive snapshot of your business, assess your risks, and look towards the future.
Reaching the hard to reach
starting, not finishing, at the margins
Joseph Wong
Vice President, International; Professor of Innovation, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto
The Reach Alliance is inspired by the SDGs. The Reach Alliance takes very seriously the notion of leaving no one behind, it's inspired by the SDGs but it is also preparing us for the post 2030 world.
Reach Alliance is about reaching everyone, reaching most is no longer good enough. What has worked in reaching those who are hardest to reach? How do we scale up successful interventions that are able to reach everyone?
The Research Alliance is working on "Operational remote immunity". This is the delivery of COVID vaccines to 31 remote indigenous communities in northern ontario. Part of the research is about logistics optimization, it's about the production of new technologies, management systems about patient management. At its core, it's not just about delivering vaccines, its how do you engender the trust within communities that have every reason not to trust the government and medical authorities in taking vaccines.
Town Hall: Mental health in the wake of Covid
Lindsay Bain,
Alumna, WTO Public Forum Delegate ‘21, Young Diplomats of Canada
Jerilyn Dressler,
COO, Trellis Society
Patricia Jones,
President and CEO, Calgary Homeless Foundation
Afiba Nyamekye,
Director, Data & Innovation of Social Impact, ATB Financial
Kimberley Tateson Bennett,
Director Of Health Services, CUPS Calgary AB
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Talk + dialogue: What works in improving health outcomes
Kieron Boyle
Chief Executive, Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation
Petra Krylova
Global Research Director, Social Progress Imperative
Impact on Urban health is based in London, and it focuses on two boroughs: Lambeth and Southwark, which is extremely diverse. Here we have some of the poorest areas in the UK and some of the richest areas in the UK right next to each other. These are examples of trends that are happening around the world. Working with the SPI, Impact on Urban Health finds a way of looking at issues more holistically, and points out were progress is occurring. Impact on Urban Health's work is very targeted by putting different types of data together and open minded by bringing new people into this world. It's experimental and sustainable by working on air pollution by focusing on how buildings are built and demolished.
The patterns of COVID are happening around us all the time. "If you are financially insecure, if you go to work in public transport, if you live in overcrowded housing, you are much more at risk for the virus. This virus targeted people who are poor, minority communities, people who are already at the sharp end of health." Kieron Boyle pointed out.
