Profiling the Francophone Population in Greater Saint John
Author: NB-IRDT Staff
Posted on Feb 9, 2023
Category: Population Research
Every New Brunswickers has the right to receive healthcare in the official language of their choice. However, for Francophones living in majority Anglophone areas, practical challenges can make it difficult to access services in French. Communication barriers in healthcare are a serious issue that can negatively impact access to care, patients’ health outcomes, and overall patient satisfaction.
Just how many Francophones in NB are impacted by these barriers? Researchers at NB-IRDT recently released a report exploring this question.
Language preference indicators are not widely available in New Brunswick’s information systems. Therefore, it is difficult to know the size of the population that lives in majority Anglophone areas but prefers to receive services in French. To address this issue, NB-IRDT has completed a new project to determine the potential, localized demand for French-language health services by constructing a profile of the Francophone population in Greater Saint John.
Funded in part by the Government of Canada, this new project was completed for the Association Régionale de la Communauté Francophone de Saint-Jean Inc (ARCF) and Horizon Health Network. It examines the extent to which this population accesses its health services through Médisanté Saint-Jean, looking at how to meet French-language healthcare demand most efficiently.
Read the full report for results and to learn more!
Related Pages: Characterizing the Francophone population in Greater Saint John (2015-2020)