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Minutes – Tamarack Health Advisory Council
November 7, 2019, 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm, Westlock Administration Building – Conference Room
Council members present: Linda West (Chair), Janet Wilkinson (Vice Chair), Debra Hagman, Doug Heine, Dan Pritchard, Liz Krawiec, Kathy Stecyk - Flynn, Candace Pambrun
AHS: Maya Atallah, Crystal Browne, Melony Cole- Zettler, Shannon Dunfield, Shelly Gladue, Donna Matier Public: Six
Regrets: Shannon Harris, Sherry Jeffreys
Agenda Item Discussion Action
Welcome and Introductions
Linda West welcomed those in attendance.
1. Approval of Agenda Moved by Liz Krawiec for approval of the September 19, 2019 agenda. MOTION CARRIED. 2. Approval of Minutes Moved by Janet Wilkinson for approval of the May 2, 2019 minutes. MOTION CARRIED. 3. Presentation 3.1 Indigenous Health Provincial Program Shelly Gladue, Senior Advisor Carol Brazicki,
Shelly Gladue presented on the Indigenous Health Program (IHP) and the following are highlights: Indigenous Health & Diversity is under the Population, Public and Indigenous Health (PPIH)
portfolio. It also supports addictions and mental health programming.
The purpose of the program is to: bridge support and health services between Indigenous Peoples and AHS; foster better understanding of lifestyles, traditional and cultural practices of Indigenous peoples; support and assist Indigenous communities to better understand health services.
Page 2 of 7 Director, Indigenous
Health Program
Role of Indigenous Health Staff In Community:
Run chronic disease management, cancer screening, public health immunization clinics and women’s wellness programs.
Provide patient/client language interpretation services for health professionals, and information about the role of Indigenous culture in health care service delivery.
Participate in community agency initiatives, e.g. HIV North.
Improve health outcomes by screening and making referrals to mental health services, health promotion and injury prevention activities and Cultural Safety and Awareness training. Participate in annual celebrations for Indigenous Peoples Day.
In Acute Care:
Provide staff orientation.
Attend medical rounds for supportive care.
Provide patient/client language interpretation for health professionals and liaise with family members and medical staff.
Participate in discharge planning and family conferencing. Coordinate traditional ceremonies as per requests from patients. Facilitate Cultural Sensitivity and Awareness Training.
Liaise with social workers and relevant programs.
Indigenous mental health travel teams also provide staff orientation and clinical services, as well as liaise with family members and medical staff. They participate in family conferencing and they coordinate traditional/sacred ceremonies and prevention training upon request.
Page 3 of 7 Questions Council had for Shelly:
Q. What statistics are available re: patients in the North Zone going to Edmonton Zone for services? A. There are no statistic available.
Q. Is the Wellness Clinic in Edmonton the closest place people can access services? A. Indigenous health services are available across the province, but not all are provided at Indigenous health clinics.
Q. Can AHS build clinics closer to home, which would alleviate transportation to Edmonton? A. AHS has a mobile clinic that travels to various communities. AHS also provides food and lodging to patients and their support person who come to the clinic from out of town.
Q. How is the Indigenous Health Program funded?
A. It is an AHS program which is provincially funded by Alberta Health. 3.2
North Zone Indigenous Health Program Shannon Dunfield, Manager North Zone Indigenous Health Program
Donna Matier, Director, Population, Indigenous and Public Health (PPIH)
Shannon Dunfield presented on the North Zone Indigenous Health Program, the following are highlights:
The North Zone Indigenous Health Program is also part of PPIH and it supports all programs, including addictions and mental health (AMH). Shannon shared the North Zone encompasses part of Treaty 6, which has nine First Nation communities, and all of Treaty 8, which has 24 First Nation communities. There are eight Métis Settlements and the region is home to five of the six regions for Metis Nations of Alberta.
There are 21 Indigenous Health Liaisons and Community Health representatives with PPIH, as well as four North Zone Indigenous Wellness Travel Teams with Addictions and Mental Health. The workforce also includes six Cultural Helpers with AMH in Area 6, 7, 8 and 10.
Page 4 of 7 To develop essential relationships and partnerships with Indigenous peoples, communities and
partners.
To reduce racism and realize reconciliation.
To enhance patient and family centered care for North Zone Indigenous peoples.
To improve Indigenous health outcomes and integrate Indigenous health in all North Zone programs and operations.
Foundational Values
To achieve success in meeting North Zone Indigenous Health 2019-2020 Priorities it will be important to:
Create ethical spaces for relationships and co-design of health care with North Zone Indigenous People, communities and organizations.
Build trusting respectful relationships with Indigenous Peoples, communities, and organizations. Co-identify health needs with Indigenous People, communities and organizations across the
Zone to ensure coordination and investment of resources that sustains improvement.
Be flexible and consult with Indigenous Peoples, communities and organizations when concerns and opportunities arise.
Collaborate and embed Indigenous Health Priorities across all Zone programs and services. Develop strong partnerships and collaborate with our AHS, provincial, and national Indigenous
Health partners.
Continue to address racism and the historical impacts of colonization Questions Council had for Shannon:
Q. Are there interpreters for indigenous languages? A. The Zone is working on creating translation services.
Page 5 of 7 Q. Do all communities in the Zone have cultural helpers? How can we build relationships with those
communities?
A. Not all have them yet, but we are working on it. We are currently working with friendship Centre’s and community leaders to build community profiles which will provide information on languages, cultural norms and who to contact within the community.
4. Business Arising from September 19, 2019
The following is an update on action items from the minutes of September 19, 2019:
Melony to share the number to the Mental Health Intake line with Council. Complete. Melony to create and share Council contact list. Complete.
Melony to share Health Plan Business Plan for next meeting. Complete. 5. New Business
5..1 Voices of the Community
A community member from Westlock gives kudos to AHS for hiring a new palliative care nurse in the area. Acute care nurses are busy with acutely ill patients so the addition of this nurse will allow for more personalized care for palliative patients in the Westlock and Barrhead region. She noted the Whitecourt Healthcare Centre is creating two hospice space and asked about palliative care suites or hospice care in Westlock. Crystal Browne, Director of Clinical Operations will inquire. A community member from Barrhead shared concern about physicians leaving the community in December. Patients will need to travel to Westlock to see a family physician.
Shauna Wallbank, Physician Resource Planner, AHS, shared information about incentives and sponsorships for international graduates. In addition, municipalities with attraction and retention committees can showcase their community and offer additional incentives.
Les Fagnan with Westlock Town Council says the Westlock attraction and retention committee works with medical students, and invites them to interagency meetings and has them stay in the
Crystal Browne to look into future palliative care suites in Westlock. Melony to connect Shauna Wallbank to community member in Barrhead about physician recruitment.
Page 6 of 7 community for a year. The town and the community supports this process.
Members of the Aspen Primary Care Network (PCN) in Westlock shared there is a new integrated geriatric services initiative. Sharing education in Westlock on Dementia and Alzheimer’s. In June they engaged with seniors in the community and asked what they would like to see. Seniors would like to reduce loneliness and create connection in the community. The PCN recently received an innovations grant to hold more engagement sessions for seniors in the community.
5.2 North Zone Update Crystal Brown, Director, Clinical Operations
Crystal Brown, Director of Clinical Operations, provided a written report with information about workforce recruitment, capital projects and major events and initiatives specific to the local region. She also provided highlights from the North Zone operational plan and performance measures and initiatives. 5.3 Physician Recruitment Report Shauna Wallbank, Physician Resource Planner
Shauna Wallbank provided the following written report of physician vacancies:
Barrhead – Postings are for one family medicine, one family medicine with anesthesia and one family medicine with obstetrics.
Westlock – There is a posting for one family medicine with enhanced surgical skills/obstetrics, and one surgical assistant.
Whitecourt – There is a posting for one family medicine with enhanced surgical skills/obstetrics and one family medicine with anesthesia.
5.4 Advisory Council Update
Melony Cole-Zettler, Advisory Council Coordinator
Melony Cole-Zettler provided the following report:
reminder – remember to register for the Together 4 Health website Fall Forum debrief – please send feedback to coordinators
Recruitment – to be completed in this cycle by November 29 Top Concerns – new revised process
Page 7 of 7 7. Next Meeting The next Tamarack Health Advisory Council Meeting is scheduled for:
Date: Thursday, January 9, 2020 Time: 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Location: Telehealth – Multiple Locations
8. Meeting Adjournment Moved by Linda West to adjourn the meeting at 3:44 p.m. *Please note that these minutes will be adopted at the next Council meeting.
Tamarack@ahs.ca AHS.ca/advisorycouncils
