Browsing by Author "Muhajarine, Nazeem"

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Open Access
Barriers to integration of health and equity into urban design policies in Regina, Saskatchewan
(2024-12-06) Mahani, Akram; Lyeo, Joonsoo Sean; Fung, Agnes; Husack, Kelly; Muhajarine, Nazeem; Diener, Tania; Brown, Chelsea
Although there is extensive literature on the impact of urban design on health, little is known about the barriers to integrating health into urban design policies. As cities increasingly lead efforts to improve health equity and population health, understanding the perspectives and experiences of municipal actors on health and equity is essential. To address this gap, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 30 stakeholders engaged with urban design policy- and decision-making at the City of Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada. We analysed our data using a qualitative thematic framework. Our research uncovered a lack of shared understanding of health among municipal actors. Interviewees identified several barriers to integrating health and equity in urban design policies, including inaccessibility of evidence; insufficient resourcing; fragmented governance structure; limited legal power of local governments in Canada; a deeply ingrained culture of individualism and lack of representation. Our findings underscore the importance of adopting an integrated and holistic approach for healthy and equitable urban design. As urbanization continues to bring a greater share of the world’s population into urban areas, it is crucial to understand how municipal governance can foster environments that promote residents’ well-being.
Open Access
Comparison of COVID-19 vaccination rollout approaches across Canada: Case studies of four diverse provinces
(McMaster University Library Press, 2023-02-01) Fitzpatrick, Tiffany; Camillo, Cheryl, A.; Hillis, Shelby; Habbick, Marin; Mauer-Vakil, Dane; Roerig, Monika; Muhajarine, Nazeem; Allin, Sara
Across Canada, there were notable differences in the rollout of provincial/territorial COVID-19 vaccination programs, reflecting diverse sociodemographic profiles, geopolitical landscapes, health system designs, and pandemic experiences. We collected information regarding underlying principles and goals, governance and authority, transparency and diversity of communications, activities to strengthen infrastructure and workforce capacity, and entitlement and access in four diverse provinces (British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Nova Scotia). Through cross-case analysis, we observed significant differences in provincial rollouts of the primary two-dose vaccination series in adults between December 2020 and December 2021. Nova Scotia was the only province to state explicit coverage goals and adhere to plans tying coverage to the relaxation of public health measures. Both Nova Scotia and British Columbia implemented fully centralized vaccination booking systems. In contrast, Saskatchewan's initial highly centralized approach enabled the rapid delivery of first doses; however, rollout of second doses was slower and more decentralized, occurring primarily through community pharmacies. In alignment with its decentralized health system, Ontario pursued a regionalized approach, primarily led by its existing public health unit network. Our research suggests explicit goals, centralized booking, and flexible delivery strategies improved uptake; however, ongoing learning will be crucial for informing the success of future vaccination efforts.
Open Access
Making (in)visible: Marginality, neurodiversity and COVID-19 in urban Saskatchewan
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2024-07) Knopf, Maren Francesca Savarese; Stewart, Michelle; Carter, Claire; Muhajarine, Nazeem
People with disabilities have been coined invisible citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research responds to the ways people with disabilities and other intersecting marginalities were made invisible during COVID-19 in urban Saskatchewan. Using arts-based participatory this research asks, “what are the practices that worked to invisibilize people with disabilities and intersecting marginalities during the COVID-19 pandemic?” To explore this question the project worked with three community-based organizations and individuals with disabilities in Regina Saskatchewan to unpack stories and truths while co-designing a creative outcome focused on lived experiences of COVID-19. Analysis explores the broader contexts in which people with disabilities were made invisible but includes particular emphasis on four focus areas: housing precarity, mental health, food insecurity and substance use. In doing so, the research is grounded in theoretical underpinnings from queer theory and disability justice. Both of which offer frameworks to examine the systems of compulsory able-bodiedness and heterosexuality that codify ideas surrounding normativity and influence pandemic responses. By telling the often-overlooked stories of people with disabilities, participants asserted that these stories are of importance and are fundamental to a collective understanding of how things happened during COVID-19. In such, the paper discusses how stories and artistic contributions from participants require the development of a radical imagination for post-pandemic futures. Keywords: Neurodiversity, COVID-19, Arts-Based Methods, Intersectionality, Invisibilization, Disability Justice
Open Access
Making Early Years a Priority
(Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, 2014-05-08) Muhajarine, Nazeem
Open Access
SIPP Public Policy Papers 03
(Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy, 2001-04) McIntosh, Tom; Rushton, Michael; Kouri, Denise; Horsburgh, Martha E.; Labonte, Ronald; Muhajarine, Nazeem
Table of Contents Contributors......................................................................................................................... v A Fyke in the Road: The ‘New’ Politics of Health Reform........................................... 1 Tom McIntosh Economics, Incentives, and the Fyke Commission on Medicare .................................. 5 Michael Rushton Health System Governance After Fyke........................................................................... 9 Denise Kouri The Fyke Report & Nursing in Saskatchewan ............................................................. 13 Martha E. Horsburgh Caring for Medicare or Caring for Health? Why Health Care Reform is Only a Small Piece of the Puzzle ................................................................................................ 19 Ronald Labonte & Nazeem Muhajarine