The Black Health Equity working group
ABOUT US
Centuries of anti-Black racism have harmed Black communities worldwide. In Ontario, Black communities experience worse health outcomes, and face greater disparities in accessing care. These outcomes are products of health inequity and oppressive systems that create barriers to care.
The Black Health Equity Working Group is made up of Black health sector leaders and health equity experts. The group began meeting early in the COVID-19 pandemic to develop a governance framework for health data collected from Black communities in Ontario. The objective was to address concerns from Black communities about the continued extraction of data from them without the return of tangible benefits.
Black communities point out that data must be used ethically and appropriately to create pathways for advancing health equity.
As it currently stands, improvements in health outcomes for Black communities are not consistent across the board.
The BHEWG advocates for improved pathways to care.
egap
The collection of race-based data should never be the end goal: it must be used to create pathways for dismantling structural racism and advancing health equity.
EGAP (Engagement Governance, Access and Protection) is a framework that envisages Black communities gaining control over their collective data At the heart of the EGAP Framework is a desire for data sovereignty for Black communities. This work is grounded in self-determination. Data sovereignty entails the right to govern data collection, management, analysis, and use.
It means communities can decide what data is collected, who can access it, and how it can be used. By providing Black communities with greater control over their collective data, the principles outlined in the EGAP Framework bring these communities a step closer to data sovereignty.
The EGAP Framework comprises four areas of focus:
Engagement
Genuine, cyclical, accessible consultation with communities regarding data collection, management, analysis, and use.
Governance
Community decision-making about engagement processes and data collection, management, analysis, and use, achieved through the establishment of Community Governance Tables.
Access
the right of communities to access their collective data and to determine who else can access it, along with the capacity building required to enable this right.
Protection
The safeguarding of all individual rights and types of data, including identifiable, de-identified, and anonymized data.
The principles in the EGAP Framework have relevance beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, and the framework will continue to evolve as a living document.
Community conversations about EGAP are scheduled to take place in April, 2021.
Download EGAP Framework
RESOURCES
Download and share the report and images below via email, newsletters, or social media to invite others to learn about EGAP
ENGLISH
FRENCH
Share the news about the report with these sample tweets!
Black communities’ data must be used ethically and appropriately to create pathways for advancing health equity for Black people.
Read the EGAP report – blackhealthequity.ca
The collection of race-based data should never be the end goal: it must create pathways for dismantling structural anti- Black racism and advancing health equity. Read the EGAP report – blackhealthequity.ca
ENGLISH
FRENCH
CONTACT
Interested in connecting with the Black Health Equity Working Group?
Email us: info@BlackHealthEquity.ca