We are proud to work with international partners to improve care both at home and around the world.
Sun Life Osler Global Health Program
Since 2014, through Sun Life's generous support and our staff's own fundraising, two teams of Osler physicians and staff have travelled to India and Pakistan annually. Their goal is to improve equitable access to quality health care for marginalized patient populations, here and abroad. Through coaching and collaboration, teams co-design plans with our partners to develop specific goals, deliverables and action plans. Plans include a focus on:
- improving health care services through ongoing research and best practices;
- offering staff professional development and leadership opportunities; and
- fostering collaborative and innovative partnerships
Due to the pressing needs in Osler's own community, to date, the Program has focused on diabetes care in India and both paediatric emergency medicine and diabetes in Pakistan. In these countries, we have conducted and participated in staff and community education, camps, research partnerships and sharing best practices in care.
Post-tour evaluations show that through the Program, we have improved patient experience and outcomes, health literacy and patient education. Osler staff and physicians also return with greater cultural awareness, a deeper understanding of the health needs of those most at risk, and plans to work further on specific projects.
Haiti Global Health Program
In 2020, we launched our health education program in Haiti. While key Osler physicians and staff have been supporting Haitian communities for several years, the formal partnership will build on the work that has already been done. To address the needs identified by Haitian leaders, we are partnering in the areas of:
- health literacy and education,
- women's reproductive health, and
- health promotion and screening.
At the request of Haitian leaders, we are also working remotely to reduce COVID-19 transmission in their country through community education.
