In Canada, we pride ourselves on our healthcare system. It is a cornerstone of Canadian pride, something that we vehemently defend and boast about. In recent days, our health system and health leaders’ handling of COVID-19 has been lauded, especially when juxtaposed with abysmal outcomes in the United States. However, despite our successes in flattening the curve and monitoring the pandemic, there is one clear blindspot that emerges – race.
Krystyna Adams is a Policy Analyst at the British Columbia Ministry of Health in the Primary and Community Care Policy Division. Having recently transitioned from her PhD, Krystyna spoke with us about how her educational background and how she made a less conventional jump from public health work to research.
On May 25, 2020, Minneapolis police officers arrested George Floyd, an African American man for a non-violent, implied crime.
Even without resisting his arrest, Floyd was ruthlessly killed at the hands of these officers. His last words — I can’t breathe — have been echoed around the world since, unleashing a global outcry.
While feel-good storylines about a recovering natural world and a bettering environment aim to, understandably, find a silver lining in these dark times, we should question not only their validity but also their larger impact. Instead of celebrating these environmental reports as “victories”, we must remain cautious and consider one critical question – what will happen in a post-COVID-19 crisis world, when lockdown regulations are lifted and life resumes?
At this time of uncertainty, where we’re having to practice social distancing and self-isolation, I decided to take a step back over the weekend to prioritize and focus on my mental health. Given what I’ve learned, here are some suggestions on how to take care of your mental health during COVID-19.
Disease outbreaks are humble reminders of just how interconnected we are.
When comparing health outcomes between indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians, a grim picture emerges. Significant gaps exist and persist.
Sometimes naivety can be a wonderful blessing. It’s sometimes better to not know that you’re headed into a battle that you don’t see coming because you can pour so much of yourself into it.
But equally, as a change-maker, where you’re trying to advance or nudge things, you need to be grounded in pragmatism.
Access to quality health care. Gender and racial inequities. Climate change. These are just some of challenges that our communities face.
Finding ways to address them is critical, but it isn’t easy. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. And oftentimes, several strategies need to be explored to help address them.
One of those tools is civic engagement.
Civic engagement is about rolling up your sleeves. It’s about choosing to put in the time and effort to improve the lives of people in our communities. It’s about engaging in political and non-political efforts to promote people’s quality of life.
Recently, Max provided us with some insights regarding his experiences in advocating and pushing for innovations and improvements in Global Health.
