Increasing Access to Rehabilitation
Inequitable access to rehabilitation services is a critical gap in health care in many regions across Canada, and beyond. Improving access to high quality rehabilitation has great potential to improve the quality of care and opportunities for good health for large numbers of individuals; fill out an integrated and effective continuum of care for all who need it; and contribute to overall system efficiency, especially through preventing or delaying deterioration of chronic conditions and reducing avoidable hospitalization and acute care.
Since 2012, Realize and a broad collaboration of national, provincial, provider and consumer organizations have been promoting discussion, awareness, and policy and program change to increase equitable access to rehabilitation across Canada.
Read An Economic Evaluation of Expanding Physiotherapy Coverage for persons living with HIV
We have held specialized think tanks and consultations and have established a high- level advisory committee to guide strategy. Strategic themes from this advice have emphasized the need to build a solid concrete case on how enhanced access and effective models could actually be implemented; how this could be aligned with pressing health system priorities and drivers such as managing chronic conditions, sustainability, and quality improvement; and how we can most effectively build institutional, government and stakeholder involvement, commitment, and support to drive the necessary reforms forward.
Cost is one of the barriers to equitable access to rehabilitation services. Visit the Who Pays page for more information on who covers the costs of rehabilitation services.
Access to Rehabilitation Services Resources
Optimal Health and Wellbeing for People Living with HIV: The Role of Health Systems
In July 2021 Jeffery Lazarus et al. published the Consensus statement on the role of health systems in advancing
the long-term well-being of people living with HIV (“the statement”) in the journal Nature. The development of this
global statement involved participation from HIV experts from around the world, including two representatives from Canada. The statement culminated in six ‘key next steps’ to be taken by health systems to advance the long-term wellbeing of people living with HIV.
Realize, in collaboration with Gilead Sciences Canada Inc., and the National Community Advisory Group on
Optimal Health and Wellbeing (NCAG)*, coordinated six deliberative dialogues to determine whether the global
statement resonated with people living with HIV in Canada, and whether there are any modifications that should be made to ensure the ‘key next steps’ are relevant in the Canadian context.
This Report (Consensus Statement companion document) is the culmination of the deliberative dialogue process.
HIV and Chronic Pain in Canada 2022: Think Tank Report
The Think Tank was held virtually over Zoom. To facilitate participant engagement in small and large group discussions, invitees were divided into two groups and the event was held over two afternoons on February 17th and 18th, 2022, 1:00-3:00pm ET. Twelve people attended each day. Attendees included people with living experience of HIV and pain, researchers, clinicians, policy makers, educators and others whose contribution is central to a clearer understanding of the landscape of chronic pain and HIV in Canada. Each person had some connection to the topic of chronic pain, whether through lived experience, education and/or occupation.