Haleon Health trailer brings healthcare, over the counter products to those in need
The Haleon Health trailer is trying to improve health outcomes by meeting underserved people where they’re at.
It is packed with free over-the-counter drugs and food and often includes a health professional. Since it launched earlier this month, it’s gone to the Canadian Centre for Refugee and Immigrant Health and the WoodGreen Foundation in Toronto.
The trailer is funded by Haleon, the large healthcare company behind brands like Sensodyne, Advil and Centrum. They’ve partnered with GlobalMedic, which runs the trailer, including deciding which neighbourhoods will benefit most and arranging healthcare providers and other services, such as offering hot meals.
The goal is that the combination of free, needed products and access to a healthcare provider will improve people’s knowledge of how to take care of themselves and their access to and knowledge of the general healthcare system.
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Haleon has a long-standing interest in health inclusion, including partnering with Economist Impact in 2022 to create the Health Inclusivity Index. That found that Canada was one of the top 10 countries for health inclusivity, but was in the bottom third for health literacy scores.
“That’s a big challenge to true health empowerment,” says Rupa Bahri, general manager of Haleon’s Canadian Business Unit. It’s extra important for the marginalized communities they’re targeting with the trailer.
The project grew out of Haleon and GlobalMedic’s previous work creating pop-up clinics in communities in need. “After doing enough of those, we identified that this isn’t just six or seven pop ups, there is a real need here for a dedicated effort,” explains Bahri.
This is a long-term effort to meet some of that need. “We don’t have an end date,” says Bahri. “I think as long as there’s the need, we hope to be there.”
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