Ensuring wellness & inclusion
Open, respectful and responsive care changes outcomes
Unequal access to health care has significant and far-reaching effects on communities, impacting both individual and overall community health. Over time, the effects of this unequal access can exacerbate existing inequalities like housing instability, employment opportunities, educational impacts, and more, leading to a cycle of poor health that is difficult to break. With the rising cost of living leading to people having to make difficult healthcare decisions, and the increasing emergency room visits, individuals in London Middlesex need better and more equal access to care.
Providing health care to a community with many diverse needs is complex. Challenges in the healthcare system, such as a lack of family doctors, and reduced capacity at hospitals, have worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic. Factors such as socioeconomic status, race, gender, newcomer status, and even geographic location often intersect to create disparities in access to medical services, which affects health outcomes. Providing care to people who face barriers related to language, mental health, or housing, requires individualized solutions and options. While progress is being made to meet the diverse needs of many populations, we need to re-commit to ensuring health equity for all.
On this page:
By the Numbers
Lack of regular dental care is contributing to emergency room backlogs
In 2021, adults made nearly 2,500 visits to a London and Middlesex hospital emergency department for an oral health problem. 75% of those visits were for non-traumatic oral health conditions.
Source: Public Health Ontario
Non-traumatic oral health conditions include tooth decay, intraoral abscesses, gingivitis and periodontitis, and other conditions of the teeth or supporting structures caused by infection.
Wallace NT, Carlson MJ, Mosen DM, Snyder JJ, Wright BJ. The individual and program impacts of eliminating Medicaid dental benefits in the Oregon Health Plan. American Journal of Public Health. 2011;101(11):2144–50. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
InterCommunity Health Centre sees 20% increase in demand for services
2020/21 clients: 9,973
2022/23 clients: 11,991 (Up 20% in 2 years)
London’s InterCommunity Health Centre provides services to people who may experience barriers to receiving health care. While the InterCommunity Health Centre saw a 20% increase in clients over two years, the City of London’s population rose less than 7.5% over the same time period.
Source: London InterCommunity Health Centre
The Disconnect: Language versus Health Care
I reflect on a chance encounter when a mother who could barely speak a word of English shuffled through the walk-in clinic doors, with her elementary school-aged child in tow, hoping to have a doctor tend to their medical needs. Sadly, the roadblock embedded in the sign that read “translator must be over the age of 16” lifted off the pages and came to life before all the other patients seated along the clinic walls. Noticing the distress of the parent, a stranger graciously stepped in to translate for the woman.
Emergency visits for opioid poisoning increase more than 550% in 10 years
While the number of emergency room visits related to opioid use in the Middlesex London Health Unit area declined in 2022 compared to 2021 (the height of the COVID-19 pandemic), there remained a fivefold increase since 2015.
Source: Public Health Ontario: Interactive Opioid Tool
The addictions crisis is widespread
The addiction landscape in our community is complex and multi-faceted. While Fentanyl and opioids are significantly impacting people, Canadian Mental Health Association Thames Valley Addiction and Mental Health Services reported that nearly 60 percent of clients accessing their addiction services name alcohol as one of the substances they are struggling with. A 2019 report from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction found that Approximately 15% of Canadians who drink alcohol consume above Canada’s Low-risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines.
Source: Canadian Mental Health Association Thames Valley Addiction and Mental Health Services
Individuals receiving social assistance in Ontario live in deep poverty
| Family Type | Welfare Income | Official Poverty Line (MBM) | Deep-Income Poverty Line (MBM-DIP) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unattached single considered employable |
$10,253 | $27,631 | $20,723 |
| Unattached single with a disability | $15,871 | $27,631 | $20,723 |
| Single parent with one child | $23,102 | $39,071 | $29,303 |
| Couple with two children | $33,368 | $55,262 | $41,447 |
In Ontario, whether someone is single, a single parent, or in a partnership with children, the level of income from social assistance that they receive means that they fall below the deep-income poverty line. Living in deep poverty is shown to have negative outcomes for people’s mental and physical health, as they cannot afford adequate food and housing or other essentials of life.
Source: Maytree Welfare in Canada Report
Self-reports of poor mental health are increasing
The percentage of people in the region covered by Middlesex-London Health Unit who self-reported their mental health as “Fair” or “Poor” has increased by 2.9% points between 2016 and 2020. Timely, effective support for the increased number of people experiencing mental health challenges needs to be made available, whether through front-line community-based organizations, primary care services, or hospitals. While more recent local data wasn’t available, the number of individuals reporting fair or poor mental health in Ontario between 2020 and 2022 has increased drastically from just over 1.3 million to just over 2 million people, further stressing the need for these services. This equates to around 13.3% of the population, which in Middlesex County, is around 72,000 people.
Want to dive deeper into the issue of Health & Wellbeing in London and Middlesex County?
Check out our London Vital Signs Data Hub for more data.
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