Professional health equity consulting designed for Northern Ontario

Expertise That Bridges Two Worlds

Northern Health Equity Consulting brings together professional healthcare consulting excellence with authentic community connection. We serve healthcare organizations, government agencies, and community partners through a unique cross-subsidy model that ensures both premium service delivery and community accessibility.

Our services are designed specifically for Northern Ontario realities—vast geography, diverse populations, resource constraints, and remarkable community resilience. Every solution respects local knowledge while meeting professional healthcare standards.

Core Service Areas

1. Health Equity Assessment & Strategy

For healthcare organizations ready to transform

Transform your organization through comprehensive equity audits and strategic implementation planning. We provide evidence-based assessments that identify barriers, opportunities, and actionable pathways toward equitable care delivery.

What we deliver:

  • Comprehensive organizational equity audits with implementation roadmaps

  • Board-ready strategic presentations with executive recommendations

  • Policy development and review through equity lens

  • Leadership coaching for equity-centered transformation

  • 6-12 month transformation strategies with measurable outcomes

Perfect for: Regional healthcare organizations, for-profit healthcare, regulatory bodies seeking systematic equity improvement

2. Patient & Community Engagement

For organizations committed to authentic partnership

Build meaningful patient and community partnerships that improve outcomes, meet accreditation standards, and create lasting relationships. We specialize in developing patient advisory councils, community engagement strategies, and authentic partnership frameworks.

What we deliver:

  • Patient advisory council development and ongoing facilitation

  • Community engagement strategy and implementation support

  • Meaningful patient partnership in research and quality improvement

  • Family-centered care program design and evaluation

  • Training programs for staff and leadership in authentic engagement

Perfect for: All healthcare organizations, research institutions, pharmaceutical & healthcare technology companies

3. Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Workshops

For organizations addressing power and oppression

Transform organizational culture through EDI workshops that examine power structures, systemic oppression, and Northern Ontario contexts. Our workshops integrate principles of OCAP and San'yas within broader equity frameworks, tailored specifically to your organizational context.

What we deliver:

  • EDI workshops examining power, privilege, and systemic oppression

  • Northern Ontario-specific context and community considerations

  • Organizational assessment and culture change planning

  • Staff training integrating cultural safety principles within EDI frameworks

  • Policy development through equity and anti-oppression lens

Perfect for: All organizations committed to meaningful equity work, including upstream health organizations, service organizations, and community groups

4. Policy Development & Analysis

For organizations creating systemic change

Develop evidence-informed policies that advance health equity and address Northern Ontario realities. Our policy expertise combines community perspective with regulatory knowledge to create implementable, sustainable policy solutions.

What we deliver:

  • Health equity policy development and implementation frameworks

  • Policy analysis through community impact and Northern Ontario lens

  • Regulatory compliance policy creation and review

  • Stakeholder consultation and policy engagement processes

  • Policy evaluation and continuous improvement strategies

Perfect for: Regulatory bodies, policy institutes & think tanks, national health organizations, government agencies

5. Market Access & Community Engagement

For organizations entering Northern Ontario markets

Navigate Northern Ontario's unique landscape with authentic community engagement strategies that build trust, ensure cultural responsiveness, and create sustainable market presence while respecting community priorities.

What we deliver:

  • Community engagement strategies for market entry and expansion

  • Cultural responsiveness assessments and implementation support

  • Stakeholder mapping and relationship building frameworks

  • Risk assessment and mitigation for community acceptance

  • Ongoing community liaison and partnership development

Perfect for: Pharmaceutical & healthcare technology companies, national health organizations, external organizations launching Northern Ontario initiatives

6. Research Partnership & Knowledge Translation

For organizations committed to community-engaged research

Develop research partnerships that center community knowledge, ensure ethical community engagement, and translate findings into actionable improvements. Our approach bridges academic rigor with community wisdom.

What we deliver:

  • Community-engaged research design and partnership development

  • Indigenous research protocols and OCAP implementation

  • Knowledge translation strategies that serve community priorities

  • Research ethics consultation and community accountability frameworks

  • Grant development and partnership facilitation support

Perfect for: Research organizations & education institutions, policy institutes, national health organizations conducting Northern Ontario research

7. Organizational Culture & Prevention Programming

For upstream organizations building healthy environments

Create organizational cultures and programming that address social determinants of health, prevent downstream health challenges, and build community resilience through inclusive, equity-centered approaches.

What we deliver:

  • Organizational culture assessment and equity integration planning

  • Prevention program development through health equity lens

  • Inclusive programming design for diverse Northern Ontario communities

  • Staff training in trauma-informed and culturally responsive approaches

  • Community partnership frameworks for upstream health interventions

Perfect for: Upstream health organizations, service organizations, community organizations seeking comprehensive culture change

8. Public Speaking & Thought Leadership

For organizations seeking authentic health equity expertise

Share Northern Ontario health equity insights through keynote presentations, conference speaking, and collaborative writing that brings lived experience and professional expertise to national conversations about health equity and community engagement.

What we deliver:

  • Keynote addresses for conferences, symposiums, and organizational events

  • Panel presentations and workshop facilitation at professional gatherings

  • Co-authoring on research papers and policy publications

  • Blog posts, articles, and thought leadership content development

  • Webinar presentations and virtual speaking engagements

Perfect for: All organizations hosting conferences, research institutions seeking publication partners, policy institutes developing reports, professional associations planning events

9. Bio-Ethics & Research Partnership

Community-centered ethics expertise

Navigate complex ethical challenges in patient engagement, research, and organizational decision-making with consultation that centres community voices and lived experience. Our healthcare ethics services bring authentic patient perspective into institutional ethics frameworks using systematic bioethics methodology.

What we deliver:

  • Patient engagement ethics consultation using established bioethics frameworks

  • Organizational ethics assessment of patient involvement practices

  • Research ethics consultation with OCAP and community-engaged research expertise

  • Ethics committee development and training programs

  • Framework analysis consultation for policy and program development

Perfect for: Research institutions, hospitals with ethics committees, academic medical centres, healthcare organizations developing patient engagement programs, pharmaceutical companies with ethical considerations

Regional Healthcare Organizations

Premium consulting for publicly-funded system transformation

We provide sophisticated health equity consulting for hospitals, health systems, and publicly-funded healthcare organizations. Our work drives measurable improvements in patient outcomes, staff satisfaction, and community trust.

For-Profit Healthcare

Compliance, quality improvement, and competitive differentiation

Navigate new accreditation requirements, regulatory compliance, and quality improvement initiatives with expert support. We help for-profit healthcare organizations meet mandatory standards while building competitive advantages through authentic equity approaches.

Community Organizations

Accessible support through Community Access Program

Grassroots organizations, Indigenous communities, and patient groups access professional-level health equity support regardless of budget. Our cross-subsidy model ensures community benefit while maintaining service excellence.

Regulatory Bodies

Compliance expertise and policy implementation support

Healthcare regulatory bodies, environmental agencies, and professional regulation organizations benefit from our expertise in equity implementation, community engagement, and Northern Ontario compliance challenges.

Research Organizations & Academia

Community-engaged research and academic partnerships

Universities, research institutes, and educational organizations developing Northern Ontario initiatives benefit from our community connections, patient partnership expertise, and regional knowledge.

Upstream Health Organizations

Equity integration for prevention-focused settings

Schools, camps, childcare centres, social services, and service organizations benefit from health equity expertise that addresses social determinants and creates inclusive environments where health and wellbeing are built upstream.

Policy Institutes & Think Tanks

Evidence-informed policy development with community perspective

Policy development organizations gain authentic Northern Ontario perspective and community-engaged research expertise for health and social policy initiatives affecting northern and remote communities.

National Health Organizations

Regional expertise for national initiatives

Cancer societies, heart and stroke foundations, mental health organizations, and other national health charities benefit from our Northern Ontario expertise and authentic community connections for regional program development.

Pharmaceutical & Healthcare Technology

Community engagement and market access support

Companies developing or implementing solutions in Northern Ontario gain authentic regional expertise, community engagement strategies, and cultural responsiveness for successful market entry and community acceptance.

Market-Specific Expertise

Our Approach

Evidence-Informed + Community-Centred

Every engagement combines rigorous methodology with authentic community partnership. We understand that evidence includes both data and lived experience, and our solutions reflect this integration.

Northern Ontario Expertise

Our solutions are designed for northern realities, not adapted from southern models. We understand vast geography, diverse populations, resource constraints, and the remarkable resilience of northern communities.

Sustainable Impact

We build local capacity and transfer knowledge to ensure improvements continue beyond our direct involvement. Our for-profit structure enables consistent, long-term regional presence rather than dependence on short-term funding.

Transparent Community Benefit

Our cross-subsidy business model ensures that 20% of our working hours and 15% of profits support community organizations annually. Every premium client engagement funds community access to professional health equity support.

Professional Credibility Meets Lived Experience

Carla Bossart-Pletzer brings together formal healthcare credentials with personal navigation of health systems as patient, caregiver, and community member. This combination creates unique insight and authentic credibility.

Regional Specialization

We understand Northern Ontario's specific challenges—geography, demographics, resource constraints, and cultural diversity. Our solutions work in northern contexts because they're designed for northern realities.

Proven Methodology

Our approaches are grounded in evidence-based practice, community-engaged research, and successful implementation across diverse healthcare settings. We track outcomes and continuously improve our methodologies.

Community Accountability

Our Community Advisory Council provides oversight and accountability. We publish annual Community Impact Reports with verified metrics and transparent reporting of community benefit.

Why Choose NHEC?

Getting Started

Ready to Transform Your Organization?

Every engagement begins with an honest conversation about your needs, our capabilities, and whether we're the right fit for your goals. We believe in authentic partnerships that create lasting change.

We're Here to Help

Not sure which services fit your needs? Have questions about our approach or community commitments? We're happy to discuss your situation and provide guidance—no obligation required.

Direct Contact:
carla@northernhealthequity.ca
705-677-8075
northernhealthequity.ca