Social prescribing in Canada: A tool for integrating health and social care for underserved communities

Social prescribing is a practical tool for addressing the social determinants of health through supported referrals to community services. This globally spreading intervention aims to meet the needs of underserved populations and to better link health and social care organizations by supporting self-management and connecting participants to non-clinical supports in their communities, such as food and income support, parks and walking groups, arts activities and friendly visiting. This paper describes the current state of social prescribing in Canada, provides an overview of the Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing and offers an introduction to processes and resources for initiating social prescribing interventions.