Health disparities or inequities are differences in health outcomes that are avoidable, unfair and systematically related to social inequality and disadvantage. In the Toronto Central LHIN, there are:

• Three times as many people with low income reported poor or only fair health than those with high income;
• The burden of many chronic illnesses follows a social-economic gradient: the incidence of diabetes is over twice as high in low income versus high income neighbourhoods;
• Even in areas where disadvantaged populations have greater documented need, access to and utilization of health services is inequitable:
  • Low income people go to physicians more for arthritis;
  • Yet the rate of hip replacements for people from low income neighbourhoods is less than half those of high income.

Promoting health equity in Toronto is an important objective for the Toronto Central LHIN. The Toronto Central LHIN's health equity vision is to create and sustain a health care system in Toronto where all have equitable access to a full range of high-quality health care and support, and systemic and avoidable health inequities are steadily reduced.

Hospitals are by far the largest providers of acute health care services. It is therefore crucial that the way in which hospital services are provided supports overall goals of reducing health inequities. To this end, the Toronto Central LHIN required its hospitals to submit Health Equity Plans by the end of fiscal year 2008/09.

To learn more about health equity issues in Toronto and to read St. Joseph's Health Equity Plan, download Creating Health Equity In the Toronto Central LHIN.

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Page last updated: April 08, 2009