Glossary
Reference Guide
The Language of Upstream Health
Six terms that explain why all policies are health policies — in plain language
Why this matters
These ideas come up constantly in conversations about community health, mental health, and social policy. Being able to explain them clearly helps everyone at the table contribute to solutions that work before a crisis develops. Health is everyone’s business — not just the health department’s.
Upstream
Addressing the root causes of a problem before it becomes a crisis — rather than treating the symptoms after the fact. If people keep falling into a river, you don’t just hire more lifeguards. You go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.
“It’s cheaper and more effective to make sure kids have stable housing and food security than to treat the mental health crisis that follows when they don’t.”
Social Determinants of Health
The conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age. Things like income, housing, education, food security, and social connection shape our health far more than medical care does — often before we ever see a doctor.
“Someone living in poverty faces more stress, less access to healthy food, and fewer options — and all of that affects their mental and physical health long before they ever see a doctor.”
Health in All Policies
The idea that decisions made outside the health sector — in housing, education, transportation, justice, and employment — all have a direct impact on population health. Health is everyone’s responsibility, not just the health department’s.
“When a city decides where to put a bus route, or whether to build a park, that is a health decision. It affects who can get to work, who gets exercise, who feels safe.”
Mental Health Promotion
Building the conditions, skills, and environments that support good mental health for everyone — before problems develop. This is different from mental health treatment, which helps people after they are already struggling.
“We put fluoride in the water to prevent cavities. Mental health promotion is the equivalent for emotional wellbeing — we invest in it for everyone, not just when there is already a crisis.”
Population Health
The health outcomes of a group of people — a community, a province, a country — and the factors that shape those outcomes. It asks: why are some communities healthier than others, and what can policy change?
“PEI is too small to show up meaningfully in national health surveys. That means we are making policy decisions without actually knowing how healthy Islanders are. That is a serious gap.”
Whole of Society / Whole of Government
Health cannot be improved by the health sector alone. It requires action across all government departments and all parts of society — schools, workplaces, communities, families, and the private sector.
“Mental health is not just a Health Department problem. It is an education problem, a housing problem, a justice problem, and an economic problem. We need everyone at the table.”