Social Outcomes Partnerships for resilient health systems: What can Canada learn from cross-sector partnerships with private, nongovernmental, and charitable providers?

Teresa Kramarz, Faculty of Arts & Science; Stefanie Tan, Dalla Lana School of Public Health; Sara Allin, Dalla Lana School of Public Health; Brian Baigrie, Faculty of Arts & Science; Paul Kudlow, Temerty Faculty of Medicine

This project seeks to understand how health system decision makers and researchers can work with new partners outside of government to strengthen the resilience of the Canadian health systems to shocks like public health emergencies. Specifically, we look at a new form of strategic partnership called Social Outcomes Partnerships (SOPs), that allow governments to provide funding and oversight for private sector organizations, including charities, to deliver health services and programs.  SOPs include outcomes-based contracts, a term used to describe formal partnerships between the government and private, non-profit, or charitable sector organizations to deliver health services to patients, such as public health interventions that improve Type 2 Diabetes management or improve cardiovascular health.  We will study these partnerships across Canada, and the United Kingdom to learn about the benefits and drawbacks of working with private, non-profit or charitable organizations to deliver health services.  Through this research we will identify tools that governments and planners can use to improve collaborations with non-governmental actors during public health emergencies and in normal times. Further funding from the Institute for Pandemics (IfP) building on our first Catalyst grant will support the development and expansion of a network of interdisciplinary scholars in Canada, and internationally, in conducting this novel research. This work has potential to inform policy design and implementation for Canada with the aim of strengthening health system resilience.