Social, economic challenges among biggesthealth concerns in N.L. according to report

Homelessness, universal basic income andfood insecurity are among the biggesthealth concerns for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, according to an interim report by the premier's health-care task force.

Sister Elizabeth Davis, one of the leaders of the task force, told CBC News Tuesday that poverty is one of the biggest determinants of illness.

"That includes such things as food insecurity, poor water supply, housing insecurity," said Davis, who formerly ran St. Clare's Mercy Hospital and the Health Care Corporation of St. John's,the provincial referral centre for tertiary cardiology and cardiac surgery services

Premier Andrew Furey's25-membertask force on health was formedin November to dig into critical issues in Newfoundland and Labrador's health-care systemand to developa 10-year plan for improvementwhile keeping the province's fiscal situation in mind.

The group's interim report, released Tuesday after five months of consultation with the public, stakeholder organizations, provincial governmentofficials and the four regional health authorities,represents its first step in addressing health-care problems in the province with a10-year plan toaddressspecific areas of concern relating to social, economic and environmental factors.

The task force's second phase, to be completed by the end of September, will focus on further consultations with the public to identify areas the group can intervene in right away.

"These are the kinds of issues that are being talked about, but we have to really go back to the people in June and ask, 'Which ones do you think we should attend to most immediately?" Davis said.

The report outlines six areas of focus:

• Social determinants of health.
• Community care.
• Hospital services.
• Aging population.
• Quality health care.
• Digital technology.

It also says the way that regular care from health-care providers is received needs to change.

The report says there'sa compelling case for change in the health-care system,"rooted in the serious health inequity experienced by Newfoundlanders and Labradorians."

Spending

Dr. Pat Parfrey, another leader of the task force, has been vocal about how money is spent on health care.

N.L.'s 2020 budget allocatedabout $3billion for health, or 37.7 per cent of the province'soverall expenditure. In November, Parfrey estimated about$600 million is either being spent improperly, or at least inefficiently.

But, Parfrey told CBC News, he didn't think too much about saving moneywhile helping develop the Health Accord NL interim report.

He said the team is trying to give advice on how to best deliver health care within the province's budget.

"We strongly feel that we need to rebalancesocial and medical spending. We need to rebalance spending in the community for the medical system and within hospitals," Parfrey said.

"That's the arena that we're engaged in. The government will, using the democratic approach, determine the fiscal envelope and we need to change how we spend that money."

The interim Health Accord NL report sayshealth outcomes in Newfoundland and Labrador are among the worst in Canada, with the lives of residentsshorter by 2.6 years than those other Canadians.The lives of Canadian Indigenous people are shorter by4.7 years.

The province also has among the highest rates of chronic disease, as well as death from cancer, heart disease and stroke in Canada, even when adjusted for age demographic.

The final report is due by Dec. 31. Parfrey said the task force will make strong recommendations for implementing its strategies for the next 10 years.

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