As the spread and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated in Canada and the world, we find ourselves in a cycle of planning, response and recovery. The National Collaborating Centres for Infectious Diseases and Determinants of Health (NCCID and NCCDH, respectively) have responded by reviewing lessons learned and recommendations on health equity from past pandemics in Canada.
Guidance document
We distilled our learning into this guidance document with a goal of supporting public health practitioners and organizations to reduce existing inequities. In addition, we are seeking to prevent further harm or unintended consequences from public health measures. The document focuses on the capacity of public health organizations to integrate health equity considerations both systematically and systemically in all decision-making for emergency preparedness, response and recovery.
The purpose of the guidance document is twofold:
- To encourage decision-making and action for pandemic preparedness and response that explicitly incorporate attention to structural and social determinants of health and address health inequities.
- To augment existing public health system resilience indicators to measure performance in addressing inequities and sustaining or enhancing equitable approaches to COVID-19. We believe this action should happen now, in successive waves of the pandemic, in recovery and in future outbreaks and pandemics.
Emergency preparedness indicators
This resource provides indicators for public health system resilience and health equity prompts to encourage decision-making and action for pandemic preparedness and response that explicitly incorporate attention to structural and social determinants of health and address health inequities.
There are two versions of the emergency preparedness indicators. First, a Google Form that features a simplified user interface and the ability to compare your results (anonymously) with others who also complete the form. Alternatively, you can download the indicators in a spreadsheet form and fill them out offline. Both options allow for easy sharing between team members.