Heart of Health – Tabitha White brings policy perspective to Public Health

In the complex and ever-changing world of health policy, each attempt at focusing or supporting agendas is akin to weaving a tapestry of competing priorities, the political climate and community dynamics. 

When a solidly crafted plan brings applause from partners buying in on the collaborative effort, it’s important to celebrate those wins, says Tabitha White, a Nova Scotia Health public policy and social action consultant. Those victories, she points out, are most likely the culmination of months or years of work. 

“Policy presents a lot of challenges and, when you look at the changes we’re trying to implement or influence, it takes multiple sectors and multiple voices. When those milestones are met and the team’s strategy works, those are great times to acknowledge those wins.” 

Based in Elmsdale, Tabitha is a six-year member of Nova Scotia Health’s Public Health team and spent the past two years in her current consulting leadership role, which deals primarily with navigating the Healthy Communities’ aspects of Public Health. 

“It’s largely about development of partnerships to foster healthy public policy to address social determinants of health across multiple settings,” she explains. This work can include, for example, municipalities, schools and workplaces. 

“It’s about providing advice, guidance and direction for planning and implementation of healthy public policy work.”  

Tabitha, originally from Newfoundland and Labrador, joined the organization after moving back to the east coast from Alberta, where she worked a dozen years for a municipal government overseeing support services of a community there. The opportunity to get back to Atlantic Canada presented itself and she returned home. 

“We just decided that we wanted to move back and be closer to family,” she says. “Things aligned and it worked out.” 

She established herself as a health promoter in Colchester County, a position taking root at the time the COVID-19 pandemic set in. In aid of the Public Health response, she provided logistical support to vaccination clinics and project management assistance, among other tasks. When the consulting job became available, Tabitha leapt at the opportunity. 

Why the interest in healthcare? She can trace it back to her human kinetics studies in university and earlier employment in neurological rehabilitation and respiratory therapy. Healthcare settings are her jam. Tabitha has a master's degree in health promotion. 

“Those experiences led me to Public Health and thinking about the complexities of lifestyle, behaviour and the broader affects and evidence that needs to be taken into account,” she says. “We do this work as a team and it’s important to have those different perspectives and experiences around the table.” 

Tabitha appreciates the variety presented with the job. 

“You can work with community partners on a policy piece at one moment in time and then, years later, it might be a similar policy but with a different group of partners and a different strategy has to be taken,” she says. “Depending on what you’re trying to advance, it may take a long time for that policy to go live.” 

The opportunity to impact change is a major motivator for Tabitha. 

“I think it's so important to have services and education interventions for people in healthcare. Part of my work, and that of the team, is to look at the broader picture and that's where that coordination comes in,” Tabitha adds. 

“The policies, whether it be school nutrition policies, community water fluoridation, or municipal sponsorship policy in recreation facilities, these are just a few examples of where we could help. This is the work we do day-to-day and we appreciate the opportunity.” 

Photo of Tabitha White.