Dr. Daniel Dutton, a teacher at a Saint John medical school, suggests spending on social programs can impact outcomes more than traditional health spending. He previously led a study at the University of Calgary on the effect of provincial social services and health spending on outcomes. The research looked into 30 years worth of budgets in provinces and found healthcare spending doubled per person over that time, with no proportional gains in outcomes. The executive director of the Saint John-based Human Development Council says Dutton is correct about the return on investments in basic needs and in social services. Additionally, the Saint John-based Human Development Council believes housing and food security continue to be real challenges for a large part of the population. The provincial co-ordinator of the New Brunswick Common Front for Social Justice agreed reducing poverty and investing in social housing would generate savings in other departments such as justice.
Related:
Daniel Dutton and Jennifer Zwicker: More healthcare spending an expensive way to buy health - The Province
NBHC Population Health