With a strong comparative and international element, this engaging book analyzes the process, implementation, and outcomes of health policy in Canada. The author critically compares Canadian health policy to other systems such as the United States, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Cuba. Case studies include the capacity of various health systems to respond to natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005. Of interest to a variety of disciplines including nursing, social work, health sciences, medical, and healthy policy, it is written for those who are studying or working in the health sector.
The primary goals of this book are:

• to examine how public policy - including health policy - is developed and implemented, by providing examples of current health policy issues in Canada
• to provide various models of the policy-development and implementation process
• to use case studies of health policy issues in Canada, the United States, Sweden, and the United Kingdom and policy changes developed to address these issues in order to illustrate key concepts
• to outline key themes in health policy and direct attention to the forces that shape health policy in Canada and in other Western nations

Toba Bryant is a co-editor of Staying Alive: Critical Perspectives on Health, Illness, and Health Care as well as a contributor to Social Determinants of Health: Canadian Perspectivs. She is Assistant Professor of Sociology at York University and an Associate of the Centre for Urban and Community Studies at the University of Toronto.

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"The strengths of the book are its targeting of a Canadian health care policy audience and its emphasis on using case studies of actual policies to illustrate the various theoretical perspectives. The focus on the relationship between health and social welfare is also a strength."— “Paula Goering, Section Head, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health