This report summarizes the main findings and policy implications from the eight concurrent sessions which took place in the February 2010 Research Conference on Healthcare for the Uninsured and Undocumented. Ontario is seen to have a high-quality health system, free and accessible to all. However, significant numbers of people do not have OHIP cards or health insurance for various reasons and face major barriers to accessing the healthcare they need.

 Considerable community experience and anecdotal evidence indicates that these barriers can have significant adverse impacts on people’s health and well-being. The need for more systematic research  on the barriers and impact facing uninsured people. 

This February 2010 conference was an initial step to collecting and enabling more comprehensive research. It was initiated by the Women’s College Hospital Network on Uninsured Clients in partnership with the Wellesley Institute, the Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto and the York Institute for Health Research at York University

The purpose of this conference was to bring together researchers exploring the lived experiences of uninsured groups in order to deepen our understanding and to share ideas for moving forward. This research conference was the first of its kind in Toronto and was a huge success. Researchers, policy-makers and practitioners welcomed the opportunity to engage in a dialogue and to forge connections to address these complex, inter-connected issues in a more coordinated manner. Thirty presentations of new, ground-breaking research were conducted, bringing together some 200 researchers, healthcare providers, policy people and others working in spheres addressing health and other needs of the uninsured. Many of these presentations, summary reports and other documents can be found on the Wellesley Institute and Women’s College Hospital websites.

These are some of the articles present in the report covering undocumented women's issues:

- Gender and Migration as Social Determinants of Health: The Case of Latin American Undocumented Workers in the Greater Toronto Area 

- Undocumented Pregnant Women: What Does the Literature Tell Us?

- Women Living Without Legal Immigration Status: Health consequences and barriers to healthcare

To read the report, please click here.