Navigating the Evidence: Communicating Canadian Health Policy in the Media

355 Pages Posted: 11 Sep 2015

See all articles by Kathleen O'Grady

Kathleen O'Grady

Simone de Beauvoir Institute, Concordia University

Noralou Roos

University of Manitoba - Department of Community Health Sciences (CHS)

Shannon Turczak

EvidenceNetwork.ca

Robert L. Brown

EvidenceNetwork.ca

Harvey Chochinov

University of Manitoba

Nicol Bernier

University of Montreal

Verena Menec

University of Manitoba

Balfour Mount

McGill University

Damien Contandriopoulos

Faculty of Nursing - University of Montreal

Mélanie Perroux

University of Montreal

Robert McMurtry

University of Western Ontario

Livio Di Matteo

Lakehead University

Colleen M. Flood

University of Ottawa - Faculty of Law

Michel Grignon

McMaster University - Department of Economics

Ruth Lavergne

University of British Columbia (UBC)

Kimberlyn McGrail

University of British Columbia (UBC) - Centre for Health Services and Policy Research

Don Dick

Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute

Linda Woodhouse

University of Alberta

Harvey Lazar

University of Victoria - School of Public Administration

Lindsay Hedden

University of British Columbia (UBC)

Morris L. Barer

University of British Columbia (UBC) - Centre for Health Services and Policy Research

Francois Beland

University of Montreal

Michael J. Schull

University of Toronto

Mark Stabile

INSEAD; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Ryan Meili

University of Saskatchewan

Monika Dutt

Government of Nova Scotia

Stephen Duckett

Independent

John Millar

University of British Columbia (UBC)

Laurel Rothman

Family Service Toronto

Gary Bloch

EvidenceNetwork.ca

Lee Ford-Jones

University of Toronto - Department of Pediatrics

James McCormack

University of British Columbia - Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences

Paul D. Allison

University of Pennsylvania - Department of Sociology

Danyaal Raza

University of Toronto - Saint Michael's Hospital

Marni D. Brownell

University of Manitoba - Department of Community Health Sciences (CHS); University of Manitoba - Manitoba Centre for Health Policy

Nathan Nickel

University of Manitoba - Department of Community Health Sciences (CHS); University of Manitoba - Manitoba Centre for Health Policy

S. Michelle Driedger

University of Manitoba

Alan Cassels

University of Victoria

Charles Wright

EvidenceNetwork.ca

Martin Offringa

University of Toronto - Child Health Evaluative Sciences

Terry Klassen

University of Manitoba

Steve Morgan

University of British Columbia (UBC) - Centre for Health Services and Policy Research

Kate Smolina

University of Northern British Columbia

Joel Lexchin

York University

Marc-André Gagnon

Carleton University - School of Public Policy and Administration

David Juurlink

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Danielle Martin

Women’s College Hospital

Stuart Shanker

York University

Justin Joschko

Freelance Writer

Gerald Giesbrecth

University of Calgary

Paul Kurdyak

University of Toronto

David S Goldbloom

University of Toronto - Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)

Jitender Sareen

University of Manitoba

Stephanie Leon

University of Ottawa

Mario Cappelli

University of Ottawa

Jody Heymann

McGill University - Institute for Health and Social Policy

Douglas Barthold

University of Southern California - Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics

Trudy Lieberman

City University of New York (CUNY) - CUNY School of Public Health at Hunter College

Date Written: May 1, 2015

Abstract

Since 2011, we’ve worked to create a dialogue between Canada’s journalists and academic health policy experts to enrich the quality and quantity of health policy stories in the Canadian media. We work with a Media Advisory Board made up of journalists and professors of journalism from across the country who let us know what their needs, constraints and objectives are from a journalistic perspective. We also have a network of more than 80 health policy academics who are ready and available to be interviewed by the media and provide a non-partisan, evidence-based perspective from their areas of expertise.

Working together, we have created a number of tools for enabling media coverage of health policy issues in Canada, including the preparation of media backgrounders, infographics, posters, podcasts and videos that highlight the evidence, and we conduct webinars, seminars and conferences by and for both journalists and academics alike.

But our most successful initiative thus far has been having our academic experts author

Op-Ed articles on health policy issues — highlighting the evidence; they work with a professional editor to follow specific media guidelines, and then we publish the commentaries in the biggest media outlets across the country. The table below illustrates how successful this strategy has been and how receptive media outlets have been to these stories — increasingly so.

This book is a selection of Op-Eds we’ve published in media outlets across the country (in both French and English) from October 2013 to October 2014. It thus provides a snapshot of Canadian health policy in the news. It is the third volume in our series (see also Canadian Health Policy in the News (2013) Making Evidence Matter in Canadian Health Policy (2014)) — all made available for free so that they may be read and used widely in educational settings.

Topics are organized by chapter headings that address issues such as our challenges with providing Mental Health care; new models for Pharmaceutical Policy and commentaries that flag the myths and truths about our Aging Population and how it will impact health services. Health Care Costs and Spending are always a concern and are raised by many of the essays here including the costs of health human resources and technology. Many of our academics address the ways in which Health is More than Health Care including such issues as poverty, housing and education, while others caution that More Care is Not Always Better. Still other commentaries highlight the dangers and opportunities with Private, For-Profit Solutions to health care funding and delivery, and others compare Canadian and American Health Systems.

Collected together, we hope these Op-Eds engage and enrich the dialogue and debate on a health care system that’s so important to Canadians. As we head into a federal election year in 2015, it seems certain that many of these issues will come to the fore, and it serves our democratic system that they be aired and discussed with evidence as the foundation. With journalists and academics in partnership to communicate health policy in the news, we can help navigate the evidence together.

Suggested Citation

O'Grady, Kathleen and Roos, Noralou and Turczak, Shannon and Brown, Robert L. and Chochinov, Harvey and Bernier, Nicol and Menec, Verena and Mount, Balfour and Contandriopoulos, Damien and Perroux, Mélanie and McMurtry, Robert and Di Matteo, Livio and Flood, Colleen M. and Grignon, Michel and Lavergne, Ruth and McGrail, Kimberlyn and Dick, Don and Woodhouse, Linda and Lazar, Harvey and Hedden, Lindsay and Barer, Morris L. and Beland, Francois and J. Schull, Michael and Stabile, Mark and Meili, Ryan and Dutt, Monika and Duckett, Stephen and Millar, John and Rothman, Laurel and Bloch, Gary and Ford-Jones, Elizabeth and McCormack, James and Allison, Paul D. and Raza, Danyaal and Brownell, Marni D. and Nickel, Nathan and Driedger, S. Michelle and Cassels, Alan and Wright, Charles and Offringa, Martin and Klassen, Terry and Morgan, Steve and Smolina, Kate and Lexchin, Joel and Gagnon, Marc-André and Juurlink, David and Martin, Danielle and Shanker, Stuart and Joschko, Justin and Giesbrecth, Gerald and Kurdyak, Paul and Goldbloom, David S and Sareen, Jitender and Leon, Stephanie and Cappelli, Mario and Heymann, Jody and Barthold, Douglas and Lieberman, Trudy, Navigating the Evidence: Communicating Canadian Health Policy in the Media (May 1, 2015). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2647089 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2647089

Kathleen O'Grady (Contact Author)

Simone de Beauvoir Institute, Concordia University ( email )

1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West
Montreal, Quebec H3G 1M8
Canada

HOME PAGE: http://www.kathleenogrady.com

Noralou Roos

University of Manitoba - Department of Community Health Sciences (CHS) ( email )

750 Bannatyne Ave
Winnipeg, R3E 0W3
Canada

Shannon Turczak

EvidenceNetwork.ca ( email )

Dept. of Community Health Sciences
408-727 McDermot Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3E 3P5
Canada

Robert L. Brown

EvidenceNetwork.ca

Dept. of Community Health Sciences
408-727 McDermot Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3E 3P5
Canada

Harvey Chochinov

University of Manitoba ( email )

501 F.A. Bldg
Winnipeg R3T 5V4, Manitoba R3T 5V5
Canada

Nicol Bernier

University of Montreal ( email )

C.P. 6128 succursale Centre-ville
Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7
Canada

Verena Menec

University of Manitoba ( email )

501 F.A. Bldg
Winnipeg R3T 5V4, Manitoba R3T 5V5
Canada

Balfour Mount

McGill University ( email )

1001 Sherbrooke St. W
Montreal, Quebec H3A 1G5
Canada

Damien Contandriopoulos

Faculty of Nursing - University of Montreal ( email )

C.P. 6128 succursale Centre-ville
Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7
Canada

Mélanie Perroux

University of Montreal ( email )

C.P. 6128 succursale Centre-ville
Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7
Canada

Robert McMurtry

University of Western Ontario ( email )

1151 Richmond Street
Suite 2
London, Ontario N6A 5B8
Canada

Livio Di Matteo

Lakehead University ( email )

955 Oliver Road
Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 5E1
Canada

Colleen M. Flood

University of Ottawa - Faculty of Law ( email )

57 Louis Pasteur Street
Ottawa, K1N 6N5
Canada
416-697-4594 (Phone)

Michel Grignon

McMaster University - Department of Economics ( email )

Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4M4
Canada

Ruth Lavergne

University of British Columbia (UBC) ( email )

2329 West Mall
Vancouver, British Columbia BC V6T 1Z4
Canada

Kimberlyn McGrail

University of British Columbia (UBC) - Centre for Health Services and Policy Research ( email )

201-2206 East Mall
Vancouver, V6T 1Z3
Canada

Don Dick

Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute ( email )

400 Hospital Drive
Calgary, Alberta T2N4Z6
Canada

Linda Woodhouse

University of Alberta ( email )

Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2R3
Canada

Harvey Lazar

University of Victoria - School of Public Administration ( email )

Box 1700
Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2
Canada

Lindsay Hedden

University of British Columbia (UBC) ( email )

2329 West Mall
Vancouver, British Columbia BC V6T 1Z4
Canada

Morris L. Barer

University of British Columbia (UBC) - Centre for Health Services and Policy Research ( email )

#201-2206 Health Sciences Mall
Vancouver, V6T 1Z3
Canada
604-822-5690 (Fax)

Francois Beland

University of Montreal

C.P. 6128 succursale Centre-ville
Montreal, Quebec H3C 3J7
Canada

Michael J. Schull

University of Toronto ( email )

105 St George Street
Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8
Canada

Mark Stabile

INSEAD ( email )

Boulevard de Constance
F-77305 Fontainebleau Cedex
France

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Ryan Meili

University of Saskatchewan ( email )

College of Education
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5A7
Canada

Monika Dutt

Government of Nova Scotia ( email )

1660 Hollis St., Suite 600
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J1V7
Canada

Stephen Duckett

Independent ( email )

John Millar

University of British Columbia (UBC)

2329 West Mall
Vancouver, British Columbia BC V6T 1Z4
Canada

Laurel Rothman

Family Service Toronto ( email )

202-128A Sterling Road
Toronto, ON M6R 2B7
Canada

Gary Bloch

EvidenceNetwork.ca

Dept. of Community Health Sciences
408-727 McDermot Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3E 3P5
Canada

Elizabeth Ford-Jones

University of Toronto - Department of Pediatrics

105 St George Street
Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8
Canada

James McCormack

University of British Columbia - Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences

2329 West Mall
Vancouver, British Columbia BC V6T 1Z4
Canada

Paul D. Allison

University of Pennsylvania - Department of Sociology ( email )

3718 Locust Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6297
United States
610-715-5702 (Phone)
419-818-1220 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.pauldallison.com

Danyaal Raza

University of Toronto - Saint Michael's Hospital ( email )

30 Bond Street
30 Bond Street
Toronto, Ontario M5B 1W8
Canada

Marni D. Brownell

University of Manitoba - Department of Community Health Sciences (CHS) ( email )

750 Bannatyne Ave
Winnipeg, R3E 0W3
Canada

University of Manitoba - Manitoba Centre for Health Policy ( email )

University of Manitoba Bannatyne Campus
Winnipeg
Canada

Nathan Nickel

University of Manitoba - Department of Community Health Sciences (CHS) ( email )

750 Bannatyne Ave
Winnipeg, R3E 0W3
Canada

University of Manitoba - Manitoba Centre for Health Policy ( email )

University of Manitoba Bannatyne Campus
Winnipeg
Canada

S. Michelle Driedger

University of Manitoba ( email )

501 F.A. Bldg
Winnipeg R3T 5V4, Manitoba R3T 5V5
Canada

Alan Cassels

University of Victoria

3800 Finnerty Rd
Victoria, British Columbia V8P 5C2
Canada

Charles Wright

EvidenceNetwork.ca

Dept. of Community Health Sciences
408-727 McDermot Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3E 3P5
Canada

Martin Offringa

University of Toronto - Child Health Evaluative Sciences ( email )

Toronto, Ontario
Canada

Terry Klassen

University of Manitoba ( email )

501 F.A. Bldg
Winnipeg R3T 5V4, Manitoba R3T 5V5
Canada

Steve Morgan

University of British Columbia (UBC) - Centre for Health Services and Policy Research ( email )

201-2206 East Mall
Vancouver, V6T 1Z3
Canada

Kate Smolina

University of Northern British Columbia ( email )

3333 University Way
Prince George, B.C. V29 4Z9
United States

Joel Lexchin

York University ( email )

4700 Keele Street
Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3
Canada
+416-736-2100 x 22119 (Phone)
+416-736-5227 (Fax)

Marc-André Gagnon

Carleton University - School of Public Policy and Administration

Ottawa, Ontario
Canada

David Juurlink

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre ( email )

2075 Bayview Ave
Toronto, OR
Canada

Danielle Martin

Women’s College Hospital ( email )

76 Grenville St
Toronto, Ontario
Canada

Stuart Shanker

York University ( email )

4700 Keele Street
Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3
Canada

Justin Joschko

Freelance Writer ( email )

Gerald Giesbrecth

University of Calgary ( email )

University Drive
Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4
Canada

Paul Kurdyak

University of Toronto ( email )

105 St George Street
Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G8
Canada

David S Goldbloom

University of Toronto - Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) ( email )

1001 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario M6J 1H4
Canada

Jitender Sareen

University of Manitoba ( email )

501 F.A. Bldg
Winnipeg R3T 5V4, Manitoba R3T 5V5
Canada

Stephanie Leon

University of Ottawa ( email )

2292 Edwin Crescent
Ottawa, Ontario K2C 1H7
Canada

Mario Cappelli

University of Ottawa ( email )

2292 Edwin Crescent
Ottawa, Ontario K2C 1H7
Canada

Jody Heymann

McGill University - Institute for Health and Social Policy ( email )

Charles Meredith House
1130 Pine Avenue West
Montreal, Quebec H3A1A3
Canada

Douglas Barthold

University of Southern California - Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics ( email )

635 Downey Way
Los Angeles, CA 90089-3333
United States

Trudy Lieberman

City University of New York (CUNY) - CUNY School of Public Health at Hunter College ( email )

2180 Third Avenue
Room 524
New York, NY 10035
United States

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