This report was published by the Wellesley Institute.

HERE’S HOW THE AUTHORS DESCRIBE THIS REPORT:

This policy brief provides recommendations for the Ministry of Health, Ontario Health, and other key actors on how to advance sociodemographic data collection, use, governance, and equity in Ontario’s health system. In brief:

• The Ontario government should mandate the systematic collection of sociodemographic data in the health sector.
• The Ministry of Health should implement mechanisms to collect sociodemographic data in a standardized way.
• Ontario Health should coordinate with health service providers and lead the development of community data governance tables.
• The Ontario government should create an independent Centre of Excellence (CoE) on Sociodemographic Data at an Ontario university.
• In coordination with the CoE, the Ontario government should fund training for healthcare providers and planners, researchers, community organizations, and other relevant stakeholders.