On the closing day of the Medicare@50 conference, Saskatoon Community Clinic family physician and University of Saskatchewan professor, Dr. Ryan Meili, introduced Canadians to an important new civic and social policy institute that focuses on the impact of social determinants of health. It is appropriately named “Upstream”, and engages the Canadian public and policy makers in increased dialogue and action around the “upstream” causes of illness such as poverty, the lack of affordable housing, inadequate access to healthy foods and other preventable social ills. This shift in conversation around health and wellbeing — also called for during Canadian Community Health and Wellbeing Week — has the potential to radically improve the health of Canadians and our health and social service systems. Dr. Meili and CACHC’s Executive Director, Scott A Wolfe, spoke to Global News Saskatoon about the new Upstream Institute.