“…by acknowledging that each community possesses unique needs and gaps that need to be addressed, we can successfully optimize the community’s overall wellness and quality of life”

Shara Arasaratnam
COVID-19 Response Project Lead

Meet Shara Arasaratnam, our Community Star!

Shara is a Covid-19 Response Project Lead at the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), working on implementing a program to bridge the transition of care from hospitals discharges to a multi-disciplinary multi-agency program.

In this post, Shara share shares her passion for public health by providing responses to the following questions:

What does public health mean to you?

The saying “no size fits all” is what I think of, in regards to public health. This saying can be placed in different factors by understanding that no specific community is the same as another.

Taking this into account in public health is important, by acknowledging that each community possesses unique needs and gaps that need to be addressed, we can successfully optimize the community’s overall wellness and quality of life.

I believe that public health is about working collaboratively with community members as high priority stakeholders to gain buy-in, to address health needs from both a high and specialized level to improve health quality and equity.

What work do you do in public health?

I’m a Covid-19 Response Project Lead at CMHA (Canadian organization) carrying out projects pertaining to the pandemic including; implementing a testing center within our Mobile Health Clinic at shelters, as those in shelters are deemed high-risk; planning a High Priority Community Strategy initiative to serve high-risk communities experiencing high rates of Covid cases.

Currently, I’m working on implementing a program to bridge the transition of care from hospitals discharges to a multi-disciplinary multi-agency program.

During my time at CMHA, I also conducted program evaluations to highlight the benefits and gaps of some of our programs to better serve the community.

What is your public health message?

There seems to be a gap between research and community practice. Exploring strategic methods to implement findings into practice will not only build capacity but, ultimately improve all levels of care.

I would like PH to focus more on health equity, we see resources assessable in middle-high SES communities. However, we do not see the same quality of resources readily assessable in low SES communities.

I understand several factors play a part in this however, exploring root causes to increase equity is critical. In PH, we have objectives we want to achieve to reach a vision, one being – health equity.

We need to continuously keep these objectives in mind when we are supporting communities.

For more information on the Community Response Team, visit the Canadian Mental Health Association Peel Dufferin’s website.