Ontario Public Health Association (OPHA) - Closing Gaps in the Health Data of Indigenous People

The Revised Ontario Public Health Standards 2018 identify Indigenous people as a priority population for Public Health. Information about the health status of Indigenous people living in urban areas of Ontario is often incomplete or not available. Getting a true count of urban Indigenous populations, and knowing about their health and social inequities are essential for effective planning and evaluation of services for this population.

The “Our Health Counts” project out of Well Living House at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto has been working with urban Indigenous organizations and health service providers to build population-based Indigenous health needs assessment information and identify best practices in Indigenous health service and program evaluation. This webinar will share key socio-demographic, health status, and health service access issues of urban Indigenous populations in Ontario as well as core principles and recommendations for Indigenous health service and program evaluation.

By the end of this webinar, participants will:

1. Realize the proportion of Ontario’s Indigenous population that live in urban areas.
2. Describe key health and wellbeing related challenges faced by urban Indigenous populations in Ontario.
3. Identify key principles and recommendations about Indigenous health services and program evaluation.
4. Consider ways this information could apply to the work of public health professionals.