Reducing the Impact of Financial Strain (RIFS)
According to Alberta Health Services newly launched website, Reducing the Impact of Financial Strain (RIFS), insufficient income is one of the most powerful factors impacting health. It is linked to higher rates of cancer, chronic disease, and higher healthcare utilization.
Finances have ranked among the top four stresses in the lives of Canadians. If you’re like 38 per cent of the country, that statistic is probably not very surprising! 55 per cent of Albertans say that they lose sleep over money. It’s one of the main reasons that income is listed as the number one social determinant of health.
Those who deal with financial stress are:
- 2X as likely to report poor overall health
- 4X as likely to have sleep problems, headaches, and other illnesses
- More likely to have strained personal relationships
What is RIFS?
RIFS is a ground-breaking collaboration between communities and their Primary Care Networks that aims to reduce financial strain as a barrier to health, particularly in areas of cancer, chronic disease management, and prevention. Did you know that social determinants, like financial strain, contribute to 50 per cent of our overall well-being? Four community teams and their Primary Care Networks tested ways this could be addressed. Their stories and discoveries are captured throughout RIFS's website to educate, inspire, and #starttheshift.
Together, communities strengthen financial wellness. Healthcare providers can play an important role in intervening through health care to reduce the consequences of ill health caused by underlying determinants and must orient healthcare services to reduce health inequities.
The RIFS website is designed to help you learn about financial strain, take action to improve financial well-being, get inspired from stories by communities, and start the shift using the available tools and resources!
Click here to access the tool.
Support is Available
If you need help navigating the resources available to you in Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, Parkland County, Wabamun Lake, or neighbouring Indigenous communities, get in touch with our team. Visit our Services page to check who can help you best, send us a message through the Contact page, or give us a call at (780) 960-9533.
Resources:
Reducing the Impact of Financial Strain (RIFS)
Reducing the Impact of Financial Strain Video
