Julie Green

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I think that would be the intention, but I can't commit to this funding. What the process is, is that Hay River Health and Social Services Authority needs to make a business case for the medical social workers and then submit it during the regular business planning cycle. Thank you.

Yes, thank you, Madam Speaker. The medical social workers work within the acute care settings and so at this time they are not in communities, and we don't have a plan to expand them there. Thank you.

Madam Speaker, over the last decade, the Department of Health and Social Services has been working on improving cultural safety for the Indigenous communities and peoples of the Northwest Territories. This critical work underpins everything the health and social services system does to redress the legacy of colonialism and antiIndigenous racism that has so deeply affected Indigenous communities.

This fall, a distinct cultural safety and antiracism division was established to create a systemwide environment where Indigenous peoples feel safe, respected, and free of racism and discrimination when...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I appreciate this motion. I think it's really important to talk about this area. I think that it helps to remove the stigma, and it helps connect people with the resources they need. There are a number of resources that have been mentioned by Members in their statements.

The important thing here is that we all have a role to play. We can be, as individuals, a mentor to someone who is struggling. We can be a leader in our communities. We can have a professional role in this. But we all have a role to play in ensuring that we hear what it is that people in...

Yes, thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, it's worth noting that this program is not only for registered nurses; it's also for people who are in allied professions including midwifery and physicians and so on. I find it impossible to make a commitment about extending the program without it ever having been introduced. But I do invite the Member to ask me about this again once it has been introduced. Thank you.

Yes, thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I think it's fair to say that the youth subscription boxes have been more popular than we anticipated, so much so that we've made the resources available online to people who are not able to obtain one of the boxes. We are now evaluating the success of that program with a view to deciding how and when to expand it. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker, and thank you for the question. We are reviewing the suicide risk assessment tool, which has been in place since 2019, which NTHSSA staff use when someone comes to the hospital with suicidal ideation or a suicide attempt. The policy runs to ten pages and talks about the ways in which staff need to respond, who needs to be involved, and what kind of a safety plan the patient leaves with. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I would like to confirm for the Member that we, in fact, do see the connection between homelessness and health, and for that reason, we have been participating in the development of a homelessness strategy being led by the NWT Housing Corporation. We believe that homelessness requires a wholeofgovernment approach. It's not usually just one reason that a person is homeless or one kind of service, like a house that they need; they need a number of different services. And so we are able and willing to participate in improving services to homeless...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I don't have that information with me.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I'm pleased to be joined today by a page from Yellowknife Centre, Sophie Shen. I'd like to welcome her to the House. Thank you