2. Health equity at the Centre
- Date: 2022-10-12
- Concurrent Session: Concurrent Session A
- Time: 11:00 - 11:45 am
- Room:
- Style: Presentation (information provided to audience, with opportunity for audience to ask question)
- Focus: Practical (e.g. Presentation on how to implement programs and/or practices in the team environment)
- Target Audience: Leadership (ED, clinical lead, board chair, board member, etc.)
Learning Objectives:
- Review the importance of income as a social determinant of health
- Enhance their knowledge of the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) application process and benefit amounts relative to income standards
- Learn how an interdisciplinary, specialized clinic approach for completing ODSP applications effectively for marginalized populations, including people experiencing homelessness was organized in Hamilton, ON.
- Understand the diverse range of diagnoses that may contribute to an ODSP application, evidenced by 1 year of operation of a specialized ODSP clinic approach in Hamilton, Ontario
- Improve their ability to support individuals with barriers to accessing healthcare and social services to complete ODSP applications
Summary/Abstract:
ODSP is an income support for people with disabling conditions in Ontario. The ODSP application is a notoriously challenging and onerous process for both people with barriers to healthcare and social services, as well as healthcare professionals. We describe an interdisciplinary clinic model created in partnership with anti-poverty organizers to assist individuals with ODSP applications who may be experiencing homelessness, have poor access to primary or subspecialty care or chaotic lives particularly related to disabling conditions. Our model invites patients to move through a series of stations to complete the application in one afternoon: a staff or resident physician completes the medical portion of the application, student volunteers assist with applicant self-report and review of relevant medical records, and a community legal clinic staff reviews all applications before they are submitted by the clinic team. This clinic model has been in operation for 3 years in Hamilton Ontario, and we present data from monthly operation between February 2021 to February 2022. In this presentation we compare ODSP rates to comparable income supports and poverty measures, describe the interdisciplinary clinic model, and evaluate findings from 1 year of clinic operation. Evaluation findings include demographics of client population, conditions listed on ODSP application based on physician assessment, and proportion of accepted applications. This is a proof of concept that an interdisciplinary clinic model is effective at completing applications for clients who have significant barriers to accessing care, and that these applications result in a high proportion of acceptances onto ODSP.
Presenter
- Brendan Lew, MD, MPH, CCFP, McMaster University Department of Health Research Methodology, Evidence & Impact
- Lisa Nussey, RM, MSc, ODSP Clinic Coordinator, Shelter Health Network
- Simran Dhindsa, Clinic Admin, Shelter Health Network
- Dan Edwards, RSSW, System Navigator, McMaster Family Health Team
- Francisco Mendina, HBSc, MMASc(c), Western University Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry