|
Visit our new website! | |
Visit our new website for resources, news and stories on Aboriginal health initiatives. We welcome your comments: nccah@unbc.ca |
|
 | | Get the latest headlines |
|
|
LAKE Journal:
Special Issue on Indigenous Peoples, Health, and Place |
 | | LAKE: A Journal of Arts and Environment |
Call for Submissions!
Lake: A Journal of Environment and the Arts welcomes submissions of original unpublished fiction, poetry, essays, interviews, and visual arts related to Indigenous peoples' health as connected to place. This special issue is supported by the NCCAH. See submission guidelines. Deadline is May 15th, 2011. |
|
National Aboriginal Achievement Award
|
Dr. Margo Greenwood is one of 14 "remarkable Canadians" to be honored with a National Aboriginal Achievement Award in 2011. Learn more.
|
|
|
 Welcome!
Charting cross-connections in Aboriginal health in Canada
 When we work together, we can move mountains. That's especially true given the complex public health challenges facing First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in Canada. At the NCCAH, we continue to partner with organizations like the Canadian Paediatric Society to educate doctors; with UNICEF Canada to raise awareness about our children's health -- and now, with optometrists to make a difference in eye health. Aboriginal Vision Health Awareness Year 2011 is shining unprecedented light on the link between vision health and diabetes -- and the actions we can take to prevent soaring rates of blindness among Aboriginal peoples in Canada. We are pleased to support the leadership of the Vision Institute of Canada and Canadian Association of Optometrists as vital awareness of this emerging health crisis grows. We hope you will learn more about these activities and other NCCAH reports, events, and initiatives in this, our first newsletter of 2011. Welcome - and Meegwetch!
Margo Greenwood
National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health
|
|
Mapping the research landscape in Aboriginal health
 | | Landscapes of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Health report |
A new NCCAH report for 2011 provides a comprehensive picture of existing knowledge and current directions in Aboriginal peoples' health in Canada.
Landscapes of First Nations, Inuit and Métis health: An updated environmental scan identifies a 'positive' shift in the research field, noting that one in four grants awarded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for Aboriginal health projects is now addressing health promotion and prevention.
Topics such as social determinants of health -- which explore the role of broader social, economic and contextual issues in health and well-being -- are also making strong appearances in the peer-reviewed literature and research. Our report includes a list of recently published studies, papers and documents, as well as an introduction to relevant Aboriginal health organizations.
back to top
|
|
Growing with Dad...
National gathering highlights father involvement in children's lives
First Nations, Inuit and Métis fathers may be one of the "greatest untapped resources in the lives of Aboriginal children today." Hosted by the National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health, our national showcase in Ottawa Feb. 23-24 is addressing an urgent need to support Indigenous fathers in communities, programs, research and policies in Canada. Evidence shows that responsible and active father involvement is a protective factor for healthy child development and resiliency. Yet Aboriginal fathers are virtually invisible in parenting prorams and family-centred services, marginalized in part by a history of 'disrupted fatherhood' resulting from such issues as the Residential School System.
With the help of Elders, fathers, researchers, program managers and others, the NCCAH expects to articulate future directions for father involvement programs and strategies as it continues to support the critical role of Aboriginal parenting in the health and well-being of children.
back to top
|
 | | View our slideshow: We Did It! An H1N1 Community Success Story |
Sharing insights on pandemic planning
H1N1 and success in Natuashish
At the height of the H1N1 pandemic, the Mushuau Innu of northern Labrador saw 90 per cent of community members get their flu shots - in just one day. The NCCAH article and feature slide show: "We did it! An H1N1 Community Success Story" shares the experience of engagement and leadership in communities like Natuashish.
"We knew our population was at high risk for the H1N1 virus and began our work right away," said community health nurse Joanne McGee. "The community was completely engaged right up front, right from when H1N1 first emerged in May."
At the same time, two federal reports on Canada's response to the pandemic have just been released, highlighting lessons learned from the H1N1 pandemic of 2009. Both recognize the urgent need to address underlying conditions that leave Aboriginal populations vulnerable to such epidemics in Canada - including 'terrible circumstances' such as housing conditions and lack of access to clean water.
back to top |
|
Diabetes and Vision Health: an emerging health crisis in Canada
Preventing blindness, promoting vision health
The need to promote eye health care for First Nations, Inuit and Métis children and adults is vital, especially when so many are living with Type II diabetes, a high risk for diabetes-related blindness. The NCCAH is supporting the Vision Institute of Canada as it raises national awareness about this emerging health crisis through its 2011 Aboriginal Vision Health Awareness Year campaign.
Eyes on the Prize....
Dr. Paul Chris, of the Vision Instiute of Canada, has been travelling the country to link with organizations like the Chiefs of Ontario, the Assembly of First Nations - Ontario Region, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami representing Inuit in Canada, and the Aboriginal Nurses Association. Meanwhile, a unique Aboriginal Vision Health lecture series  in 2010 helped set the stage for increased awareness (a DVD of the event is now available). The NCCAH contributed articles to a special edition of the Canadian Journal of Optometry on the links between diabetes and Aboriginal vision health. A poster campaign is also underway. More will come as the year unfolds.
back to top |
|
Urban Aboriginal Poverty
The rise of "fringe financial institutions' in Canada
 Low-income urban Aboriginal people risk being caught in a cycle of poverty with the explosion of "fringe" financial institutions in Canada, a new BC-based study finds.
"The study found that Aboriginal individuals are major users of these services, typically for cashing income assistance and other government cheques," said Dr. Paul Bowles, an economist at the University of Northern B.C. who co-authored the Prince George report. He said people considered "too risky" by the mainstream banking industry can face interest rates of more than 800 per cent for services such as payday loans. This is despite the fact that all Canadians, with basic identification, have the legal right to open a bank account and cash government cheques at much lower costs.
Urban Aboriginal people in Canada are twice as likely to live in poverty than non-Aboriginal peoples. The NCCAH-supported study helps shed light on issues facing urban Aboriginal people who are "living on the edge but have not yet fallen off," said Ray Gerow, president and Chief Executive Officer of the Aboriginal Business and Community Development Centre, which commissioned the report. Gerow said social service agencies in most Canadian cities tend to focus on those at the bottom of the socioeconomic range.
"A blind eye has long been turned to the needs of urban Aboriginal peoples in Canadian cities. Our office is starting to look at individuals in our community who are not yet living on the street. We have found there is little to no help or support to prevent them from falling."
back to top |
|
Centre News
National Television Film Crew visits NCCAH
 | | National film crew visits NCCAH |
A national film crew was on site of the NCCAH recently to film Academic Leader Dr. Margo Greenwood and the NCCAH team at work. Dr. Greenwood, a lifelong educator, is being recognized this year with a 2011 National Aboriginal Achievement Award for her outstanding career achievements. The awards are celebrating 14 'remarkable Canadians' who have made a profound impact on their communities, across Canada and worldwide. A 90-minute television broadcast will be aired live March 11, 2011 on Canwest Global Television and Aboriginal Peoples Television (APTN).
Upcoming Events and Conferences
The NCCAH is presenting at two international conferences in March and launching a pilot project in relation to a third:
4th International Conference on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder-  Vancouver, March 2-5, 2011: Author and policy analyst Mike Pacey will highlight three major knowledge gaps concerning Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and Aboriginal peoples in Canada at the 4th International Conference on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.
4th International Meeting on Indigenous Child Health - Vancouver, March 4-6, 2011: As a supporting partner in a major initiative to address childhood vision disorders among Aboriginal children in B.C., the NCCAH will describe key strategies that can encourage improved screening outcomes for children under age six. NCCAH Research Manager Donna Atkinson and Dr. Barry A. Lester will present at the 4th International Meeting on Indigenous Child Health, in Vancouver.
Leading the way to change: First Nations governance in research -  Ottawa, March 1-3, 2011: Recognition of First Nations' inherent right to govern their data is increasingly informing the work of researchers and governments in Canada. This national conference will release results of the First Nations Regional Longitudinal Health Survey, Phase 2, relating to topics from mental health to housing and cultural traditions. A related NCCAH pilot project in partnerships with the Assembly of First Nations, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and researchers, will build on variables found in the existing community data from the 2002-03 RHS data. The project will provide an 'evidence map' of the links between chronic disease and social determinants of health.
back to top
|
|
National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health
National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health
3333 University Way
Prince George, British Columbia V2N 4Z9
Tel: 250-960-5250
Fax: 250-960-5644
Web: www.nccah.ca
|
|
