Social Prescribing (SP)
Following Ontario’s Alliance for Healthier Communities’ lead, Social Rx Waterloo supports social prescribing (SP) as a tool uniting the social and medical models of health and wellness, which “enables clinical care providers to address the diverse determinants of health through the familiar process of writing a prescription.” SP complements already-familiar medical supports by linking clients’ social needs to primary health care practitioners who can point them to supportive resources. These links are fostered through various practitioners (including link workers and social prescribers) who connect clients to available programming.
SP activities allow clients to connect with many available resources including: activities in nature, arts and culture programming, community resources, food supports, multilingual support, public library support, sports and recreation, structured indoor programming, and more.
Despite a range of local programs and services available, many people can’t engage with them. Some barriers include difficulty contacting an unfamiliar organization, isolation, or social anxiety—while other systemic barriers may include cost, limited awareness of existing resources, programs not offered in a client’s home language, scheduling, and transportation.
How Does SP Work?
Consult your primary health care practitioner. Discuss whether SP may be right for you based on your personal interests, and learn about social prescriptions that can best fit you and your goals.
Find an activity. Choose an SP activity or program that matches your abilities, interests, schedule, and skills.
Get creative and connect. Engage at a pace that feels right for you. Try a few things and see what fits.
Check in. Share your experience with your prescriber. Discuss what you enjoyed, what worked well, and which SP activities you might want to explore next.
