Thunderchild Health Department

1. Thunderchild Health Department Profile of Program & Services January, 2011 Thunderchild First Nation, Treaty No. 6

2. Vision Under the guidance & protection of the Creator, Thunderchild Health will incorporate traditional & contemporary institutions in parallel to continuously improve our spiritual, physical, emotional & mental health & wellbeing of our membership Mission to pursue self-sufficiency, & self determination where programs & services & partnerships are bridged & work collaboratively to support building healthy individuals, families, communities & the Cree Nation Values • Ma na chi to win (respect) • Tapwe at si win (honesty) • Sa ki to win (love) • So ke mo win (courage) • Ta pah tayi mo win (humbleness) • Ki se wa ti si win (kindness) • Wa ko to win (kinship)

3. Mandate To provide health services, daycare services, and youth, culture & recreation services to the membership of Thunderchild First Nation and other persons ordinarily resident on Thunderchild lands and to align with Thunderchild First Nation’svision, strategic planning, direction, and its reassertion of our treaty right to health to better serve the needs of the membership

4. Programs & Services & Initiatives • Nursing & Health Education - to support university education, training, & professional development opportunities for registered nurses working for Thunderchild First Nation. • Environmental Health-safe drinking water program - to build capacity through community based drinking water quality monitoring program. to track & report water quality results • Communicable Disease Control- Health Emergencies - to coordinate communicable disease management, including outbreaks & Communicable Disease Emergencies - to Report on Communicable disease as required by Public Health Act Communicable Disease regulation; including contact tracing & follow up • Mental Health/Wellness Program - to Establish a community-based mental health crisis management team. - to Enhance community management & control & provide the necessary tools to aid in the intervention in problems of depression & suicide by targeting communities in crisis. - to Address critical gaps in mental health services & programs & provide crisis intervention, aftercare & training for caregivers & members of the community to deal with crisis. - to Provide support for intervention in crisis situations in order to reduce the number of suicide attempts & other violent crisis situations.

5. Programs & Services & Initiatives • NNADAP (Community Wellness & Addictions) To provide counseling to individuals, families or the clients significant other or groups with common issue problems & To provide prevention, maintenance, support & encouragement for individuals, families or the clients significant other To coordinate a comprehensive after care program To provide non medical treatment services • Community Dental Health Program To provide dental care benefits to the clients in accordance with NIHB General Program Directive, NIHB Dental Services Directive, NIHB Dental Policy Framework, & Regional Dental Benefit Grid • Medical Transportation toprovide medical transportation benefits by accessing medically required Health Department in accordance with the NIHB General Program, Medical Transportation Directives, Medical Transportation Policy Framework, & the Regional Guidelines

6. Programs & Services & Initiatives • Home & Community Care - to provide access to a range of home & community care services to First nations community members living in a First Nation - to assist First nations living with chronic &/or acute illness in maintaining optimum health, wellbeing, & independence in their homes & communities - to ensure that all clients with an assessed need for home care services have access to a comprehensive continuum of services within the community - to assist clients & their families to participate in the development & implementation of the client’s care plan to the fullest extent & to utilize available community support services where available & appropriate in the care of the clients - to continue to build capacity within First Nation to facilitate the delivery of home care services that enable program monitoring, evaluation, research & the definition of best practices • FASD - to increase awareness & intervention related to fetal alcohol disorder & women & families.

7. Programs & Services & Initiatives • Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative - to focus on the prevention, early detection & management of Diabetes as a major health issue. - to increase awareness & address the high rate of diabetes & its complications - to Improve the practice of diabetes self-management - to Increase ownership of diabetes programs & capacity to combat diabetes in the community.

8. Programs & Services & Initiatives • Maternal Child Health - to increase access to a continuum of services for pregnant women & families with infants & young children up to 6 yrs of age - to increase participation of fathers in MCH programs - Greater role for elders in supporting pregnant women & families with infants & young children - to increase screening & assessment of pregnant women & families with young children to identify those with more complex needs - develop new partnerships within the community, & with provincial health systems to support implementation of MCH services - to increase access to case management & specialized services for families & children with complex needs - to increase numbers of professionals & paraprofessionals frontline workers hired & trained to work in MCH services - to increase awareness to culturally based training for staff working with pregnant women & families with infants & young children

9. Programs & Services & Initiatives • National Aboriginal Youth Suicide Prevention Strategy - to develop a national approach to Aboriginal youth suicide in Canada that will increase protective (preventive) factors such as resiliency, & reduce the risk factors associated with suicide - to increase awareness & understanding of aboriginal youth suicide prevention - to strengthen key protective factors such as a strong sense of identity, meaning & purpose & resilience to strengthen & facilitate collaborative approaches & linkages within the governments, agencies & organizations - to develop & implement locally-driven suicide prevention plans in first nation communities - to improve & increase crisis response efforts to intervene more effectively in preventing suicide & suicide clusters following a suicide-related crisis in community - to enhance knowledge development regarding what is known about what works in preventing youth suicide

10. Programs & Services & Initiatives • Brighter Futures - to increase awareness in mental health, child development, healthy babies, injury prevention & parenting skills - to improve knowledge & skills of front line workers & community members in the above areas. - to provide opportunities to improve health services & develop community-based & model projects. - to address the serious health problems affecting children & families in community. Holistic & integrated manner - to facilitate the prevention & early intervention by promoting better integration of health services. • Community Health Services & Injury prevention - to target high risk behaviors & raise awareness in promotion prevention of injuries in children & youth to include such programs as maternal & infant health, child health, school health, adolescent, adult & elder health

11. Programs & Services & Initiatives • Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program (CPNP) - to improve the adequacy of the diet of prenatal & breast feeding - to increase access to nutrition information & services, & resources to eligible FN women particularly those at high risk - to increase breast feeding initiation & duration rates - to increase knowledge & skill building opportunities for those involved in this program - to increase the number of infants fed age appropriate foods in the first twelve months - to support & educate the awareness of prenatal care • Building Healthy Communities-Solvent Abuse - to support the Community to reduce the level of solvent addiction - to Increase awareness & understanding among the community members - to promote healthier lifestyles - to Strengthen links between the community-based program & residential treatment & provide support to individuals & families in post treatment

12. Programs & Services & Initiatives • Immunizations strategy - to improve the immunization rate infants & children living in the community - to link with internal \external health providers on client advocacy, interpretation discharge planning, & continuity of care between health systems off & on reserve • HIV/AIDS - to develop initiatives to control & prevent the spread of HIV infection - to reduce health, social, & economic impacts of HIV/AIDS - to encourage & support the active involvement of the on reserve community in community based HIV/AIDS programming - to identify options/strategies for access to treatment, care & support programs that will facilitate residents with HIV/AIDS remaining in or returning to their home - to provide timely & comprehensive education & prevention programming - to increase the knowledge base of epidemiology of the HIV/AIDS epidemic - to ensure appropriate skills exist at the community level to provide prevention programs & care/treatment services & that the capacity is developed within the community - to develop a coordinated approach associated with HIV/AIDS programming for residents

13. Partnerships 1) TB Advisory Committee, FNIH 2) Mental Health Advisory Group, FSIN 3) National Aboriginal Youth Suicide Prevention Strategy Committee, FNIH 4) Central Bands Nurses Group 5) First Nation Liaison Working Group Prairie North Health Authority 6) Prairie North Health Authority Primary Care Network 7) Saskatchewan Technical Advisory Group, FSIN 8) Panorama Steering Committee

14. Contact Information Thunderchild Department of Health Box 744 Turtleford, Sask. S0M 2Y0 Tel: 845 – 4660 Fax: 845 -2978