June - EDI Awareness - Health Equity
Equity is what is fair and what is just. It is the "avoidable or remediable differences among groups of people, whether those groups are defined socially, economically, demographically, or geographically or by other dimensions of inequality (e.g. sex, gender, ethnicity, disability, or sexual orientation)." Working towards becoming more equitable requires individuals and institutions to identify, and then avoid or remedy actions, behaviors, processes, and structures that serve as barriers to fairness.
We don't all have the same access to resources or to the same opportunities, sadly, even when it comes to the fundamental human right of health. Despite the fact that British Columbia has a leading health system there are stark differences in health outcomes across the population, particularly in historically marginalized communities (Indigenous peoples, racialized people, immigrants and refugees, people living in poverty, people with mental health concerns, etc). About 75% of our overall health is determined by social factors - where we live, learn, work and play - but existing systemic inequities mean that not everyone has the same opportunity to be healthy.
Here at UFV we are striving to create a supportive learning and working environment that is respectful, welcoming, and inclusive. Improving the health and wellbeing of the UFV community is essential to this vision. It requires an understanding of equity as an iterative and ongoing process, which works to understand individual and group diversities through a collaborative process that is responsive to inputs from our communities and continuously informs our processes are equitable processes.
A big thank you to Sundeep Hans, Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, for her contributions to this month’s health and well-being awareness campaign.