What Have Northerners Done Together?

A prime example of the North’s collaborative values and innovation is their way of taking increased responsibility for health services, in many instances devolved by central governments to regional and local interests. Seemingly, over time and with increased knowledge of how best to move forward, northern health leaders recognize that systemic ‘software’ or ‘how things are done’, may not always truly depict their traditional responses to change and how they do things. Perhaps this is why the notion of a Northern Health Strategy for Saskatchewan makes sense. It may be the north’s way of adapting to a larger society’s demands and it may also suggest a common sense approach to transforming towards a paradigm-shifting of health systems that they know will better serve the health needs of the North’s residents. If these assumptions are acceptable, it would then be reasonable to believe that everyone benefits.

In the short time the Northern Health Strategy has been in existence, it has shaped a variety of templates from which this partnership can create service delivery that is more accessible and increasingly effective. There are limitless indefinable benefits of bringing health leaders and health providers together to discuss progress and innovation, to influence healthy public policy, or just to work to catch up to the generally accepted level of heath services taken for granted by most Canadians.