Aboriginal Access to Health Care Systems

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Aboriginal Access to Health Care Systems

• Ontario
• Aboriginal
• Health
• Advocacy
• Initiative

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Agenda
? Overview of OAHAI ? The Healing and Wellness
Strategy ? General Population Statistics ?
Aboriginal Health Issues ? Poverty ? Aboriginal
Health Policy ?Traditional Native values vs.
Western Values ? Our Priorities and where do we
go from here ?
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The Ontario Aboriginal Health Advocacy Initiative
(OAHAI) Who We Are.

• OAHAI was established to address key health
  concerns of Aboriginal people regarding
• Quality, Equity and Access

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OAHAIs Mandate
To address the inequitable access to quality,
culturally appropriate health services for
Aboriginal, First Nation and Metis people
throughout the Province of Ontario
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Who Funds Us.
Aboriginal Healing and Wellness Strategy (AHWS)
Unique partnership with Government of Ontario
In 1990 Aboriginal organizations and the
government developed the Strategy
To address poor health conditions as well as the
alarming rates of family violence Aboriginal
people in the Province have endured
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Our Government Partners
Ministry of Community and Social Services
Ministry of Health and Long term Care Ontario
Native Affairs Secretariat Ontario Womens
Directorate
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Aboriginal Healing Wellness StrategyServices
and Programs
Community Wellness Workers Crisis Intervention
Teams Health Liaisons and Outreach
Workers Healing Lodges Shelters Aboriginal Health
Access Centres Maternal and Child
Centres Information Clearing Houses Training
Programs Aboriginal Healthy Babies/Healthy
Childrens Programs Aboriginal Health Advocacy
Initiative
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General Population Statistics

• Aboriginal people represent approximately 3 of
  Canadas total population
• Over 50 of the Aboriginal population are under
  the age of 24 40 are under the age of 16

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General Health Issues

• Aboriginal people experience a broad range of
  health issues, many of which lead Aboriginal
  people to suffer from among the poorest health
  levels in the country
• Aboriginal people have shorter life expectancies
  experience more violent and accidental deaths
  have higher infant mortality rates increased
  suicides and

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General Health Issues (contd)

• suffer from a number of chronic health
  conditions, such as diabetes, TB, cancer,
  arthritis, etc.
• Aboriginal people have the highest smoking rates
  in the country
• 57 of Aboriginal adults and 54 of Aboriginal
  teens smoke (some start as young as 8)

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General Health Issues (contd)

• Aboriginal people experience a
• much tougher battle with
• HIV / AIDS than the
• broader Canadian population

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General Health Issues (contd)

• The fastest growing HIV/AIDS population is
• 15-29 year old Aboriginal women
• This population represents between
• 35 40 of the new cases
• reported in 2001

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Aboriginal Poverty

• 52.1 of all Aboriginal children are poor.
• 12 of all families are headed by parents under
  25 years of age vs. 3 in the general population
• 27 of Aboriginal families are headed by single
  mothers vs. 12 in the general population
• Over 40 of Aboriginal families in urban areas
  are headed by single mothers

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Aboriginal Poverty (contd)

• 47.2 of the Aboriginal community lives on less
  than 12,000 per year

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Aboriginal Health Policy

• Ontario has an Aboriginal Health Policy, designed
  by Aboriginal community representatives and the
  Ontario Ministry of Health in 1994

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Aboriginal Health Policy (contd)
Designed to assist the MOH address the inequities
in Aboriginal Health
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Aboriginal Health Policy (contd)

• Visions and Principals include
• wholistic / holistic
• physical, mental, emotional and spiritual
• based on partnership
• Aboriginal ownership, control and access
  cultural foundation

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Aboriginal Health Policy (contd)

• Three Strategic areas
• health status
• access to services and
• planning and representation

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Policy Aboriginal Health Status

• This part of the policy addresses
• poor health status
• the lack of coordination
• the inequity of funding and
• the overemphasis on treatment rather than wellness

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Policy Aboriginal Health Status (contd)

• Approaches articulated in this part of the policy
  include
• healing and wellness programs
• health empowerment
• co-operation and co-ordination between community
  practitioners
• including healers, Elders, medicine people,
  midwives, community health workers and other
  health providers
• The policy also promotes a necessary equity of
  funding

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Policy Access to Services

• This component of the Policy addresses
• transportation
• language
• cultural concerns
• client advocacy
• lack of recruitment, retention and professional
  development of health care workers
• lack of recognition and acceptance of traditional
  healers

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Policy Planning and Representation

• The Policy identifies barriers
• lack of understanding and recognition of
  Aboriginal issues
• cultural biases
• a fundamental lack of respect
• lack of involvement of Aboriginal people in
  decision making
• the lack of awareness of rights to available
  services

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Policy Planning and Representation (contd)

• The proposed approaches outlined in the Policy
  includes
• planning authorities
• representation of Aboriginal people in health
  bodies, both service-based and regulatory and,
  improved relations with government

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Comparison of values between Traditional Native
and Western Medicine
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Issues on the Immediate Horizon

• Disease management
• Prevention and promotion strategies
• The development of a mental health policy
• Poverty and nutrition
• Governance
• Access to services
• The development of partnerships

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Current OAHAI Priorities
HIV/AIDS
Hepatitis C
Youth Sexual Health
Medical Transportation
Mental Health and Addictions
Creating Partnership
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Wesahketchahk
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Ontario Aboriginal Health Advocacy Initiative
219 Front Street East Toronto, Ontario M5A
1E8 Phone [phone] Fax [phone] Provincial
Program Manager Jo-Anne Miller