News Gina Jones-Wilson, president of the Upper Hammonds Plains Community Development Association and community coordinator for the vaccine clinic held in Upper Hammonds Plains, says it’s a long-overdue development. “We are effected by so many diseases on a higher scale than most, so in order for the health system to address our needs, they need that data,” she told The Coast. In the US, we know that 41 percent of Black people have high blood pressure, compared to just 27 percent of white folks. There are no such stats in Canada, but Jones-Wilson says high blood pressure and diabetes are more common in Black communities. She says when community groups get together, sometimes the conversation turns to health problems, and the group realizes the same issues are effecting everyone in the room or are present in their family history. It’s about five or six of those diseases that were in every Black community here in Nova Scotia, says Jones-Wilson.
Working Group Will Support Race-Based Data Collection Initiative
April 14, 2021 - 1:07 PM
The Nova Scotia government has established a community-based working group to support the collection of race-based data in the health system.
Collecting and interpreting race-based health data will help the government identify and address inequities in health care and better serve racialized people by collaborating on community-level programs and initiatives.
“We know that race is one of the factors that affects people’s access to care. Collecting this data will help us better understand what Nova Scotia’s diverse populations need to be healthy,” said Premier Iain Rankin. “Communities have asked for this, and we will continue to work with them to address barriers and promote equity in health care.”