Researchers at York University's Faculty of Health will advance health-related knowledge and outcomes by investigating the impact of Ontario's public youth pharmacare program and assessing the impact of interventions towards the elimination of hepatitis C virus in Ontario.
The two York-led projects are backed by the Fall 2024 Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Project Grants program, which announced its funding decisions on Jan. 30.
The CIHR program aims to: support diverse health research from discovery to commercialization, promote interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaborations, and contribute to the creation and application of health-related knowledge.
Assessing the impact of pharmacare on youth
Antony Chum, an associate professor and the Canada Research Chair in Population Health Data Science, will lead a project that analyzes Ontario's youth pharmacare program, and assesses its impact on economic outcomes, health-care use and youth well-being.
Antony Chum
"Evaluating the impact of Ontario's public youth pharmacare program on healthcare utilization, social & mental wellbeing, and economic outcomes through quasi-experimental and qualitative approaches" will receive $432,224 over four years.
Along with co-investigators - Mathieu Poirier (York), Michel Grignon (MacMaster University) and Patricia O'Campo and Arjumand Siddiqi (University of Toronto) - Chum will study the medication needs of Ontario youth, the economic outcomes of the OHIP+ program, the consequences of the 2019 program policy change and the lived experiences of youth using the program.
Ontario's OHIP+ program offers free prescription drugs to youth under 25; however, a policy change in 2019 excludes those youth who have private insurance.
"Canada is the only high-income country with a publicly funded universal health-care system but no universal pharmacare. One in five Canadian youth report difficulties affording prescription drugs," says Chum. "This project examines the impact of providing free prescription medications to young people, as well as the consequences of excluding privately insured youth from OHIP+ coverage."
The lack of pharmacare is particularly concerning for young adults, as ages 18 to 24 represent a critical period for the onset of mental health and substance use disorders, says Chum. Many of these conditions - including depression, anxiety and schizophrenia - emerge during early adulthood, making access to affordable treatment crucial for long-term health and stability.
Using longitudinal health administrative data and community-driven qualitative research, Chum's team aims to provide evidence that can inform the development of a more equitable national pharmacare strategy.
"With Canada facing a youth mental health crisis, characterized by rising rates of suicide and emergency department visits for mental health concerns, understanding the benefits and limitations of existing pharmacare models is essential," says Chum. "Our findings will help shape future policies that improve access to essential medications for young Canadians."
Evaluating Ontario's Hepatitis C plan
A team of four co-principal investigators, including Faculty of Health professors Mia Biondi and Kate Dunn from the School of Nursing, will embark on a three-year project to evaluate Ontario's efforts to eliminate hepatitis C by 2030. The study looks at the impact of the publication Ontario Hepatitis C Elimination Roadmap, a project in which Biondi was a core member representing primary care and nursing.
Mia Biondi
Kate Dunn
The study "Implementation of The Ontario Hepatitis C Elimination Roadmap: Evaluation of Recommended Interventions" was awarded $300,000 by the CIHR Project Grant Priority Announcement competition, which offers additional funding for projects aligned with specific research areas.
This project was selected for the Infection and Immunity (Early Career Research Support) stream and involves co-principal investigators from Queen's University and University Health Network, along with several co-investigators and collaborators from a range of institutions involved in the Roadmap development and implementation, including the Ministry of Health.
"Our research aims to assess the impact of various interventions - including point-of-care testing, education and training - on reducing hepatitis C virus transmission and improving health outcomes," says Biondi. "Using administrative health data and health economic modelling, the study will determine which interventions have the greatest impact on person-level outcomes and which are the most cost-effective to inform future policy and implementation efforts."
Hepatitis C is a worsening public health issue exacerbated by factors such as substance use and COVID-19, and while the disease is curable if detected early, late diagnosis can have severe impacts on health and quality of life. The research team aims to assess the impact of the implementation of the Roadmap and its resulting interventions to guide future innovations, priorities and inform policy decisions.
This story was originally featured in YFile, York University's community newsletter.
