Our apologies for any cross-postings on this notice.

Hello!  We are looking for Canadian responses to this request.

The Synthesis and Dissemination Unit of Health Canada's Research Knowledge
and Development Division has contracted Dr. Ronald Labonte and Communitas
Consulting to undertake a synthesis of how knowledge of social and environmental
health determinants is affecting organizational culture/structure and professional
roles/relationships in Canadian health systems.  Excluding the province of Ontario,
these systems have recently undergone major restructuring to regional health
boards or authorities.

The project team has reviewed numerous reports and published literature, and has
arranged to interview over 25 key informants across the country.

In addition, we would like to hear from anyone who feels they have something
important they would like to say about this issue.  Our key question can be phrased
as this:

POPULATION HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE RESTRUCTURING: HAS OUR
KNOWLEDGE OF SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINANTS MADE A
DIFFERENCE?

In the context of this project, population health is understood as an approach that
supports community and institutional actions and policies on the broad social and
environmental determinants of health.  Health systems are understood as all of
those institutions, organizations and services that fall within provincial health
mandates.  Policy authority for most of these determinants lies outside of health
systems.  Health systems nonetheless have a role to play in supporting
community actions and intersectoral collaboration in formulating and ensuring
implementation of health promoting public policies.

We have prepared a survey questionnaire consisting of 13 open questions.  It
could take anywhere between 30 minutes and 2 hours for you to complete,
depending on how thorough you would like to be.  (The choice is entirely yours!)
We appreciate the time pressures and work stresses many people are facing these
days.  We hope that our final paper may be useful to practitioners and
policy-makers trying to grapple with our key question.  Beyond that, we cannot say
there's anything more for you in answering our survey except the
opportunity to express your thoughts.

All responses used in our final report to Health Canada will be unattributed, that is,
the source for these will remain confidential.  We want candor.  Mostly we want
some stories from the "coal-face" of practice--has our knowledge of broad
health
determinants made a difference?  Our findings so far indicate that most actions on
health determinants are occurring at the local level of health systems.

If you would like a copy of our survey questionnaire, please respond directly to:
Shawn Chirrey ([log in to unmask]) for the ENGLISH VERSION of the survey
or
Suzanne Jackson ([log in to unmask]) for the FRENCH VERSION of the
survey.

We will e-mail you a copy for your response.

If we're to use your thoughts in our final report, though, we'll need to
hear them by MARCH 9th.

Thanks!  We would like to hear from, and we understand and empathize completely
with you if we don't.

Yours truly,

Ronald Labonte, PhD
Communitas Consulting