Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to describe the process of transformation in the Northern... more Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the process of transformation in the Northern Health region of British Columbia (BC), Canada, based on a new relationship between governments of BC, Canada, and First Nations.
Design/methodology/approach – Written from the perspective of four key participants in the transformation process, this paper highlights the ways in which partnership has been integral to the transformation of health service delivery to First Nations communities in Northern BC.
Findings – In sharing their experiences with health system transformation through partnership, the authors of this paper hope to contribute to a growing set of promising practices as indigenous health service organizations take a greater role in health service provision, and non-indigenous health service organizations improve their understanding of and relationships with indigenous communities.
Originality/value – This paper outlines a unique and leading edge transformation in health service delivery, told from the perspectives of key partners involved in the transformation process.
The incidence of gastroschisis (GS) has increased globally. Maternal age and smoking are risk fac... more The incidence of gastroschisis (GS) has increased globally. Maternal age and smoking are risk factors and aboriginal communities may be more commonly affected. Factors leading to this increased incidence are otherwise unclear. We investigate maternal sociodemography, air pollution and personal risk factors comparing mothers of infants with GS with a control group of infants with diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) in a large population-based analysis. Data were collected from a national, disease-specific pediatric surgical database (May 2006-June 2013). Maternal community sociodemographic information was derived from the Canadian 2006 Census. Univariate and multivariable analyses were performed examining maternal factors related to diagnosis of GS. GS infants come from poorer, less educated communities with more unemployment, less pollution, fewer immigrants, and more aboriginal peoples than infants with CDH. Teen maternal age, smoking, and illicit drug use, are associated with GS. Mothers o...
Aboriginal children's well-being is vital to the health and success of our future nations. Ad... more Aboriginal children's well-being is vital to the health and success of our future nations. Addressing persistent and current Aboriginal health inequities requires considering both the contexts in which disparities exist and innovative and culturally appropriate means of rectifying those inequities. The present article contextualizes Aboriginal children's health disparities, considers 'determinants' of health as opposed to biomedical explanations of ill health and concludes with ways to intervene in health inequities. Aboriginal children experience a greater burden of ill health compared with other children in Canada, and these health inequities have persisted for too long. A change that will impact individuals, communities and nations, a change that will last beyond seven generations, is required. Applying a social determinants of health framework to health inequities experienced by Aboriginal children can create that change.
Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 2012
Health disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples persist globally. Northern inter... more Health disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples persist globally. Northern interior British Columbia, where many Indigenous people live on Indian reserves allocated in the late nineteenth century, is no exception. This article reviews findings from fifty-eight interviews with members of thirteen First Nations communities in Carrier, Sekani, Wet'suwet’en, and Babine territories. The results suggest that colonial geographies, both physical and
Geographic engagement with Indigenous peoples remains inextricably linked to colonialism. Consequ... more Geographic engagement with Indigenous peoples remains inextricably linked to colonialism. Consequently, studying Indigenous geographies is fraught with ethical and political dilemmas. Participatory and community-based research methods have recently been offered as one solution to address concerns about the politics of gathering, framing, producing, disseminating, and controlling knowledge about Indigenous peoples. In this article, we critically engage with the emergence of participatory and community-based research methods as " best practice " for undertaking research into Indigenous geographies. We articulate four concerns with this form of research: a) dissent may be stifled by non-Indigenous researchers' investments in being " good " ; b) claims to overcome difference and distance may actually retrench colonial research relations; c) the framing of particular methods as " best practices " risks closing down necessary and ongoing critique; and d) institutional pressures work against the development and maintenance of meaningful, accountable, and non-extractive relations with Indigenous communities. We then contemplate the spatiality of the critique itself. We consider the ways in which our longstanding friendship, as researchers invested at multiple scales with Indigenous geographies and identities, provides its own distinct space of practice within which to confront the political and ethical challenges posed by research with/about/upon Indigenous geographies and peoples. While not arriving at any concrete template for undertaking research about Indigenous geographies, we suggest that certain friendships, established and situated outside research relationships, may be productive spaces within and through which research methods may be decolonized. La recherche participative axée sur la communauté, les géographies autochtones, et les espaces de l'amitié : Les sites de dialogue critiqué Etablir un dialogue sur les questions géographiques avec les peuples autochtones est indissociable du colonialisme. Par conséquent, l'´ etude des géographies autochtones se heurtè a des dilemmes d'ordré ethique et politique. Des méthodes de recherche participative axée sur la communauté ont récemment vu le jour dans l'optique de résoudre les enjeux politiques entourant la collecte, l'encadrement, la production, la diffusion et le contrôle des connaissances sur les peuples autochtones. C'est notammentà la faveur des relationsétroites d'amitié de longue date que nous entretenons entre chercheurs investis dans les multiples facettes des géographies et des identités autochtones que nous jetons un regard critique sur l'´ emergence des méthodes de
In this article, we discuss findings from a study on indigenous youth's perspectives on and engag... more In this article, we discuss findings from a study on indigenous youth's perspectives on and engagement in health care. We carried out an Internet environmental scan, focus groups, and key informant interviews with urban indigenous youth leaders and front-line indigenous practitioners. We found that youth and practitioners regard the formal health care system as ineffective and disrespectful of youth and culture. Indigenous youth espouse a broader approach to health that considers the linkages between culture, identity, and health. Youth are engaged in a variety of health-related activities , from engagement in design of health services and programs to youth empowerment initiatives. The results highlight the value and implications of affirming indigenous youth's role as determiners of their own health. 1. Acknowledgements: We would like to thank indigenous youth, Elders, and indigenous health professionals for their guidance, contributions, encouragement, and visions of action for future work. We would also like to acknowledge Landon Pearson and Sandra Griffin for their support throughout the study. The authors disclose receipt of financial support for the research and authorship of this article: National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health.
Colonial projects in Canada have a long history of violently intervening into the personal lives ... more Colonial projects in Canada have a long history of violently intervening into the personal lives and social structures of Indigenous peoples. These interventions are associated with elevated rates of addictions and mental health issues among Indigenous peoples. In this paper we employ an indigenized social determinants approach to mental health and addictions that accounts for the multiple, intersecting effects of
Shuswap Elder Mary Thomas once observed that children are the future of Aboriginal peoples * . ... more Shuswap Elder Mary Thomas once observed that children are the future of Aboriginal peoples * . Her observation, while deceptively straightforward, has important health implications, particularly when Indigenous health is understood within the context of the Ottawa Charter for Health ...
... Many thanks to Sharron Dezell for collecting the survey data, and to Yvette Hepburn and Chery... more ... Many thanks to Sharron Dezell for collecting the survey data, and to Yvette Hepburn and Cheryl Emerson for facilitating the focus groups and to Jacquie Ennik-Laguerre and Rob Haines for being a member of the ad-hoc committee for this project. ...
This article is part of a larger study that explored how an Indigenous early intervention program... more This article is part of a larger study that explored how an Indigenous early intervention programme in British Columbia (BC), Canada, known as the ‘Aboriginal Infant Development Program’ (AIDP), influenced family and children’s health and well-being and was responsive to child health inequities. Postcolonial feminist and Indigenous feminist perspectives provided a critical analytical lens to this qualitative inquiry. The study was undertaken with AIDPs based in diverse community organisations located in off-reserve urban municipalities throughout the province of BC. From September 2013 to March 2014, in-depth, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with: Indigenous primary caregivers (n=10), Indigenous Elders (n=4), AIDP workers (n = 18) and administrative leaders (n = 3). The purpose of this article is to examine and analyse the findings that focus on how AIDP workers supported family and children’s health and well-being by transforming their routine policies and practices in w...
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– The purpose of this paper is to describe the process of transformation in the Northern Health region of British Columbia (BC), Canada, based on a new relationship between governments of BC, Canada, and First Nations.
Design/methodology/approach
– Written from the perspective of four key participants in the transformation process, this paper highlights the ways in which partnership has been integral to the transformation of health service delivery to First Nations communities in Northern BC.
Findings
– In sharing their experiences with health system transformation through partnership, the authors of this paper hope to contribute to a growing set of promising practices as indigenous health service organizations take a greater role in health service provision, and non-indigenous health service organizations improve their understanding of and relationships with indigenous communities.
Originality/value
– This paper outlines a unique and leading edge transformation in health service delivery, told from the perspectives of key partners involved in the transformation process.