Healers focus on helping the poor
By Bill Dunphy
The Hamilton Spectator
(Mar 22, 2006)
Tonight, a group of Hamilton health-care providers will meet for the
first time to turn their attention to the causes of poverty, instead of
simply treating its symptoms -- symptoms which they see daily in their
offices and clinics.
"You want to improve people's health, but there's only so much you can
do with a prescription," says Dr. Diana Ahmed, one of the founders of
Hamilton Health Care Providers Against Poverty (HHCPAP).
"Treating the individual is an important role (for doctors)," says
Ahmed, "but scientific and medical research shows that poverty is the
biggest determinant of health. We know that it's not enough to simply
see the diabetic in your office, to treat the asthma patient. We have to
look at the bigger issues."
For Ahmed, a McMaster grad, HHCPAP will be her first attempt at blending
her social activism interests with her medical responsibilities. "How do
we as health-care providers address the issue of poverty? And what can
we do, beyond treating the individual?"
Ahmed and nurse practitioner Sue Grafe both work at the North Hamilton
Community Health Centre and were inspired to launch this new network by
the Toronto-based Health Care Providers Against Poverty. The Toronto
group has a slightly narrower focus at this point -- they're pressing
the province to restore full support for special dietary allowances that
can add up to $250 to the monthly cheques of social assistance
recipients, a supplement that can often mean the simple difference
between hunger and health.
A campaign by poverty activists last summer signed up so many Ontario
Works and Ontario Disability Support Program recipients for the special
dietary allowances that provincial officials branded the effort abusive
and re-wrote the rules in November in an effort limit access to the
program.
Ironically, although the new rules restricted some payments, the
publicity around the issue led to even more people applying and total
payments are up.
The amounts involved are not trivial -- either to the families and
individuals receiving them or to the system overall.
The Ministry of Community and Social Services says it spent $13.3
million on the supplement last month, up from $11.6 million in October.
But Ahmed said that while fair access to the special diet (and adequate
assistance rates in general) are important, the new group will decide
what it wants to tackle. "I'm hoping we're going to take on broader
issues, too. But I don't want to force an agenda on anyone."
Ahmed and other organizers have heard from members of the McMaster
Family Practice, medical students, doctors and nurses, but she really
has no idea how many will show up.
The inaugural meeting, which is intended for health-care providers, not
activists or the general public, takes place today at the North Hamilton
Community Heath Centre, 554 John St. N. at 5:30 p.m.
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