The A.C.T.I.O.N. Project – COMMUNITY UPDATE

Before we begin our regular update on the A.C.T.I.O.N. project, we would like to acknowledge that March 11 marked one year since the World HealthOrganization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Beyond changing our daily routines, COVID-19 has led to a rise in anti-Asian racism as well as highlighted racial inequities in healthcare and beyond.

These inequities are not new to us, and we will continue to work against the stigmatization of the Black community when the pandemic is over. But with COVID-19 dominating the news cycle and exacerbating all too familiar problems, we are taking the pandemic as an opportunity to talk about long standing issues that have made the healthcare system unequal for Black Canadians. In February, Lydia-Joi Marshall spoke with the Toronto Star about five problems that need to be addressed by the healthcare system and healthcare practitioners. You can read the full article here.

The current social climate reminds us further why the work we are doing to address inequity in the A.C.T.I.O.N. project is ever more timely. This being said, we are moving into a new and exciting phase of our project, where pilot interventions will begin to take shape. We will continue to provide you with updates and encourage ongoing dialogue to ensure that our work is a reflection of the needs articulated by community. As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Please continue to take care of yourself, and we hope you have had the chance to enjoy some of the spring sunshine we’ve seen over the last few days.

A.C.T.I.O.N Updates

Ongoing Recruitment

As we begin to shift our work from focus groups to analysis and action in the community, we are still looking for any voices which were underrepresented in our initial data collection. If you know someone who might be interested please share our recruitment flyer with them.

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A.C.T.I.O.N. is Published – Part 1

A.C.T.I.O.N.’s first academic publication highlights inequities in access to kidney transplantation, and specifically, living donor kidney transplantation in the Canadian context.
This initial article reviews existing evidence about inequitable access and barriers to living donor kidney transplantation for racialized patients in Canada, laying the groundwork for future publications focusing specifically on African, Caribbean and Black communities in Canada.

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Good-Bye Princess Noor

Last month we reluctantly said good-bye to Noor El-Dassouki, Research Associate and Project Manager for the A.C.T.I.O.N. project (ON). Affectionately nicknamed “Princess Noor” in one of our focus groups, Noor’s passion and dedication to her work, as well as her analytical insight and humour, will be deeply missed. We are incredibly grateful to have worked with Noor and look forward to her future endeavors.