Lunenburg Part 2 - Section 5 - Social Vulnerability - August 30.pdf

in health care or mitigating socioeconomic inequalities; rather, its main usefulness is in guiding
the allocation of resources targeted at reducing socioeconomic inequalities in health.
Social Determinants of Health in Canadian Emergency Management
Lindsay, J. Emergency Management in Canada: Near Misses and Moving Targets
John Lindsay provides an evaluation of emergency management in Canada. He describes a
number of events that have shaped Canadian emergency management practices, discusses
challenges specific to the Canadian context. He notes that although Canada was a leader in
adopting the population health model in health care, and has continued to make the connection
between the determinants of health and disaster vulnerability, that Canada’s emergency
management system has been slow to identify the importance of considering social vulnerability
when performing risk assessments. He also acknowledges that further research is required to
better understand how the social determinants of health influence vulnerability in different
settings.
Lindsay, John. “The Determinants of Disaster Vulnerability: Achieving Sustainable
Mitigation through Population Health.” Natural Hazards 28 (2003): 291-304.
This paper aims to identify common goals between disaster management and health care in
regards to mitigating community vulnerability. He notes that the now well-accepted population
health model identifies many of the same social, economic and physical factors that disaster
management has linked to vulnerability: the same factors that allow people to be healthy also
allow people to cope with disasters. Additionally, disaster impacts are felt primarily in terms of
health, and other community impacts that can reduce population health. Therefore, reduction in
vulnerability through improving socioeconomic conditions will have a positive effect on
population health, not only through the reduction in disaster-related injuries and deaths, but also
by improving the social determinants of health in the community. Similarly, actions to improve
the social determinants of health with also reduce vulnerability to disasters. Lindsay suggests
that the integration of health promotion and disaster vulnerability reduction is a natural step,
citing a long-standing association between health promotion, city planning, community
development, and the environmental movement. He further identifies a role for the health sector
in mediation between economic and environmental interests that sometimes conflict.
Lindsay notes that, in the past, both health care and disaster management as disciplines have
emphasized reactive measures, neglecting the health aspects of pre-event mitigation and postevent
recovery needs.
Enarson, Elaine, and Sara Walsh. Integrating Emergency Management and High-Risk
Populations: Survey Report and Action Recommendations. Canadian Red Cross, 2007.
In a commissioned report for the Canadian Red Cross, scholars from the Brandon University
Department of Applied Disaster and Emergency Studies analyze how, and how well, the needs
and capacities of those most at risk are integrated into emergency management practices in
Canada.
Using a combination of a literature review and consultations with experts, the authors create a
framework for identifying and understanding social vulnerabilities as the population subgroup
level. This study employs a functional limitations approach that considers factors such as
mobility or communication restrictions. The social determinants of health are identified as clear
indicators of social vulnerability in Canada.
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