Helping the Vulnerable in our Inner Cities
All large Canadian cities have low-income neighbourhoods in which poverty, mental illness and drug addiction cause substantial health and community concerns. Ethnic minorities, the homeless, the drug-addicted and street-involved youth are among the particularly vulnerable inner-city populations. Chronic diseases like hepatitis C and HIV, related disorders resulting from drug addiction and other poverty-associated conditions, result in substantial morbidity and mortality and boost healthcare costs. Dr. Evan Wood, Canada Research Chair in Inner City Medicine, seeks to help some of society’s most vulnerable citizens by guiding the response to these longstanding health and social challenges. Wood is investigating and addressing complex medical and public health challenges that have long troubled policy-makers aiming to address inner city health needs. His research will make it easier to provide unique approaches to address common health concerns like drug addiction and HIV/AIDS that present a broad public health challenge. Wood’s research will lead to the development of evidence-based approaches for treating drug addiction and preventing the ongoing spread of costly, infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS. The outcome will be improved public health resulting from strategies for unclogging inner city emergency rooms and reducing healthcare costs.