Health & Wellness
Department Overview & Priorities
To honor and respect community members, to provide health services to the best of our ability, and to improve health and wellness.
What the Health & Wellness Department Does
The Health & Healing Centre supports the day to day health services including mental health support and NIHB navigation, program administration, and community wellness initiatives.
Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
- Program planning, grant and proposal writing and reporting
- Collaboration with local, regional and federal health partners to support community health programs
- Staff oversight and service delivery
- Ongoing engagement with community to improve services
- Ongoing collaboration with stakeholders regarding program supports and growth
- Supporting food security initiatives
- Prioritizing mental health and wellness and addiction supports with partnerships with stakeholders and health partners
- Regular communication with Chief & Council ensures alignment with community priorities.
Health Programs
Aboriginal Head Start, On-Reserve (AHSOR)
This program is based on six primary components: education, health promotion, culture and language, nutrition, social support and parental/family involvement. These components ensure the children’s self-confidence and a greater desire for learning. Each of these components is provided by Health Centre staff through a variety of programs and services. Regular speakers and facilitators visit the community and work with the children. Some of the visitors include nutritionists, Mi’kmaq culture facilitators, hearing and speech therapists, and Elders.
Canadian Pre-Natal Program (CPNP)
The goal of the Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program-First Nations and Inuit Component (CPNP-FNIC) is to improve maternal and infant nutritional health. Program clients: pregnant First Nations and Inuit women, mothers of infants, and infants up to twelve months of age who live on reserve or in Inuit communities, particularly those identified as high risk. Also includes First Nations and Inuit women of childbearing age on-reserve and in Inuit communities.
Home & Community Care (HCC)
The Community Health Representative (CHR) conducts part of the program – The CHR performs administrative support services, which assist community members to help to arrange medical transportation and accessing Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB). Responsibilities include making home visits, workshops, and individual and family teaching sessions.
Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative (ADI)
A Diabetic Prevention Worker provides services and workshops on diabetes and diabetes prevention, including nutrition, self-management, non-diagnostic screening, and referrals to appropriate health professionals. Exercise programs are created. The Worker provides group sessions, individual sessions and in-home care.
Brighter Futures
The Brighter Futures program is a community-based health promotion and ill-health prevention program for First Nations and Inuit communities. The program typically promotes health and prevents ill health through learning-related activities that strive to increase awareness, change attitudes, build knowledge and enhance skills.
Maternal Child Health (MCH)
The goal of the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) program is to support pregnant First Nations women and families with infants and young children, who live on reserve, to reach their fullest developmental and lifetime potential. Program clients: all pregnant women and new parents, with long-term support for those families who require additional services.
Community Health Promotion & Injury/Illness Prevention
The Community Health Nurse delivers and coordinates services including Public Health Protection (i.e. administering the annual flu clinic). Primary Health Care focuses on Home and Community Health Promotion and covers several areas, such as Healthy Child Development which includes Maternal/Child Health (MCH), the Canadian Prenatal Nutrition Program (CPNP), Illness/Injury Prevention (IP): providing prenatal and postnatal education and support (both can include breastfeeding education) and follow-ups for children for screenings, and to provide safety education/resources. These varied services may be provided through home visits, client visits to the Health Centre, or phone calls, as well as through my role as part of the Health Team in providing community activities, both for education & awareness about health factors, as well as for building connections & capacities within the community.
Building Healthy Communities & Mental Health Management (BHC/MH)
The Building Healthy Communities program is designed to assist First Nations and Inuit communities to develop community-based approaches to youth solvent abuse and mental health crises, the two components of the program. First Nations and Inuit communities have the flexibility to determine which program component(s) to provide community-based programs, services and/or activities in.
Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB)
What is NIHB?
Provinces and territories are responsible for delivering health care services, guided by the provisions of the Canada Health Act. Health care services include insured hospital care and primary health care, such as physicians and other health professional services. Like any other resident, First Nations people and Inuit access these insured services through provincial and territorial governments.
However, there are a number of health-related goods and services that are not insured by provinces and territories or other private insurance plans. To support First Nations people and Inuit in reaching an overall health status that is comparable with other Canadians, Health Canada’s Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) Program provides coverage for a limited range of these goods and services when they are not insured elsewhere.
The Non-Insured Health Benefits Program is Health Canada’s national, medically necessary health benefits program that provides coverage for benefit claims for a specified range of drugs, dental care, vision care, medical supplies and equipment, short-term crisis intervention mental health counselling and medical transportation for eligible First Nations people and Inuit.
The Drug Benefit List is a listing of the drugs provided as a benefit by the Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) Program. The listed drugs are those primarily used in a home or ambulatory setting. Benefit Updates to the Drug Benefit List are generally issued on a quarterly basis.
For more information, please see the Health Canada Website