<p>This article explores the critical role public health social work can play in the attainment of spatial justice, thereby advancing health equity. The authors, as public health social workers working with NTDs, argue through this expository article that the ‘spatial’ is both ‘geospatial’ and ‘socio-spatial’, indicating the ‘constructed’ nature of the spatial plane. Within the geospatial, there is a gradation of inequity, which is social in nature, i.e. the vulnerable sections have poor access to resources and have limited power to protect themselves from environmental disadvantages. This makes spatial justice a subject matter of relevance in the context of the right to health and health (in)equity. Public health social work is positioned to address these disparities through various strategies. In the larger macro context, public health social work shall engage in climate justice and green social work for environmental justice and, at the micro level, engage in radical social work practice to empower communities to modify their socio-spatial plane by making professional efforts to end the existing dynamics created by ‘powerful others’. By addressing both geospatial and socio-spatial factors, public health social work can play a transformative role in mitigating health disparities and fostering an equitable health landscape. This comprehensive approach ensures that spatial justice is not only a concept but a practice that significantly improves health outcomes for disadvantaged populations.</p>

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Advancing Health Equity Through Spatial Justice: The Role of Public Health Social Work

  • Anoop C Choolayil,
  • Muhammed Jabir

摘要

This article explores the critical role public health social work can play in the attainment of spatial justice, thereby advancing health equity. The authors, as public health social workers working with NTDs, argue through this expository article that the ‘spatial’ is both ‘geospatial’ and ‘socio-spatial’, indicating the ‘constructed’ nature of the spatial plane. Within the geospatial, there is a gradation of inequity, which is social in nature, i.e. the vulnerable sections have poor access to resources and have limited power to protect themselves from environmental disadvantages. This makes spatial justice a subject matter of relevance in the context of the right to health and health (in)equity. Public health social work is positioned to address these disparities through various strategies. In the larger macro context, public health social work shall engage in climate justice and green social work for environmental justice and, at the micro level, engage in radical social work practice to empower communities to modify their socio-spatial plane by making professional efforts to end the existing dynamics created by ‘powerful others’. By addressing both geospatial and socio-spatial factors, public health social work can play a transformative role in mitigating health disparities and fostering an equitable health landscape. This comprehensive approach ensures that spatial justice is not only a concept but a practice that significantly improves health outcomes for disadvantaged populations.