February 2008

The Northern Health Strategy continues efforts to enable opportunity for partners to
enhance services and to find solutions to common and unique northern challenges. For instance:

The Northern Oral Health Working Group (NOHWG)
• has assisted the partnership in strengthening dentist access services
• is now working to develop a process which will eventually see the north’s health
partner engage an oral health needs assessment

In Chronic Disease Management
• The Northern Chronic Care Coalition (NCCC) is happy to report that we now have a
former Keewatin Yatthé Regional Health Authority CEO Carol Gillis joining us to
help with the Coalition’s priorities.
• The many Chronic Disease Management interests continue to ensure they work from their strengths
• Community development remains a key point to maximizing offerings at all levels of the health continuum

Mental Health and Addictions
Our Technical Advisory Committee is discussing the importance of finding ways to
service northerners better by recognizing the north’s unique cultural diversity and socio- economic conditions. Additionally, it wishes to ensure all agencies and service providers know service availability by proposing to develop a services road map.

Health Career Promotion
Sask Health has funded us to begin in-community in-school health career promotions program. Andrea Custer, originally from Pelican Narrows, is now visiting schools. Early signs indicate that our young people are very much interested in health careers. Good to hear.

The Other NHL–-Northern Health Leadership
Our Northern Health Leadership met in late December 2007. They have resolved to move forward to invite and bring together northern elected leadership in early June. This gathering, in part, will feature Northern health Strategy reports as well as dialogue.

We continue to work with New North – the region’s municipal representative group – to develop a Memorandum of Understanding. The proposed MOU will describe how the sector and elected leadership can work together to improve the health of communities, families, and individuals.

Northern Health Strategy Funding
We have signed a contribution agreement with the Integration Envelope of the Aboriginal Health Transition Fund (AHTF). We are optimistic, that the AHTF Adaptation Envelope contribution agreement will be ready to sign soon.