Dr. Jeffrey Turnbull took to the stage on November 8 to deliver a lecture on equitable health care for the Chancellor Speaker Series. His experiences with Ottawa Inner City Health, Inc. (OICH), which he co-founded, have given him a unique perspective on providing accessible health care to society’s most vulnerable populations.
Dr. Turnbull spent the day on campus, acting as a judge for an event that invited students to submit their innovative solutions to addressing the challenges facing Canada’s vulnerable populations. The groups showcased their ideas in a poster presentation as well as a live pitch for Dr. Turnbull and other judges.
He later addressed attendees in the Paul Byrne Hall in the Heart of the Robbins to share his experiences building OICH in Ottawa, along with the group’s successes and struggles. His lecture, titled “Homelessness and Health Equity: Are We Failing Society’s Most Vulnerable?” directly addressed a number of problems with the Canadian health-care system when it comes to helping vulnerable populations.
Dr. Turnbull explained that there are a variety of reasons that people become disadvantaged – from mental health issues to addiction to disabilities to poverty – and that often, individuals will be facing more than one of these issues at a time. With no one being held accountable for providing resources to these groups, they often go without proper or accessible care, and their life expectancy is greatly reduced compared to the national average.
Dr. Turnbull recommends developing patient-centred care that focuses on building trust with patients, listening to what they feel would benefit them and ensuring that care is accessible regardless of their current situation. This type of care would work around potential barriers these patients face, acting on their needs rather than the needs of health-care providers.
He pushed for collective responsibility, not only in the development of policies that reflect the needs of these communities, but in advocating for action that will improve the health of communities and ensure that every Canadian has access to quality health care.
To see photos from Dr. Turnbull’s visit to MacEwan, click on a photo below and scroll through the images in the gallery.