The other challenge obviously is the fact that under our ISDM we don’t have one-nurse stations, so we would have a challenge there as well. I will not commit to putting a nurse in that house at this time, but I will commit to working with the community, with the committee, as well as the health authority to find solutions that work for all communities, including Tsiigehtchic. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Your final, short supplementary, Mr. Blake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. From what I understand, the policy doesn’t actually affect the licenced practical nurse as it does a full-time nurse. So will the Minister ensure that we make adjustments to the policy to make sure that communities like Tsiigehtchic have a proper nurse? Thank you.
It’s a very complex issue and I know the Member knows this. I mean, there are health and safety issues for our staff, we have to make sure that we’re meeting certain standards, but there are also the health and safety issues of the community and we have to find that balance. As I’ve indicated, I’ve directed the department to look at their ISDM to ensure that the right balance exists within all of our communities throughout the Northwest Territories, including the small and rural and remote as well as the isolated communities.
We have to think outside the box, we have to look at other options, emergency response, we have to look at maybe expanding community health workers or community health representatives. We have to find a way that the residents have that seamless care that we’ve been talking about from their community into other centres. We are committed to improving the system. We want better health, better care and better results for all our residents of the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The Member for Hay River South, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Unfortunately, I’m not exactly certain who is the Minister responsible for Seniors in this government. Whoever it is, that’s who I’m directing my questions to.
What kind of proactive work is this government doing to establish a survey or a database of information on the up and coming needs of seniors? We say we want to keep seniors healthy, we want to keep them independent, we want to keep them in the North and I would like to ask, how are we anticipating the needs of seniors as our population ages? Thank you.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The Minister responsible for Seniors, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The department has a good relationship with the NWT Seniors’ Society. We also have statistics on the ages of all residents of the Northwest Territories. We work closely with the local seniors’ societies, as well, to make sure that we’re aware of what’s going on in the communities, and we are doing a number of things to make sure that seniors throughout the Northwest Territories are informed. We did work closely with the NWT Seniors’ Society on the development of a Seniors’ Handbook, which basically outlines a lot of the different types of programs and services that are offered by the GNWT as well as other partners and NGOs. We are working to make sure that seniors are informed as much as possible, and we do collect statistics on population rates in the Northwest Territories on a regular basis.
I do recognize the department does do a lot of good work with the seniors and for seniors in the Northwest Territories. I’d like to ask the Minister, how does that information they have on the age, health status, housing conditions, how does that translate, that information, into a plan to ensure that we continue to support seniors in the appropriate levels?
All the information that comes in helps inform decisions that we, in this House, make on both sides of the House. One of the things that we’re using some of that data for within the Department of Health and Social Services is the developing of an Aging in Place Strategy for the support of all of our elders in the Northwest Territories. This Aging in Place Strategy was intended to be ready I believe it was October or November, but we didn’t have it done at that time. I wanted to see a few additional things put in there and have a few more conversations with committee, but I will have something to present to committee in short order with respect to the Aging in Place Strategy.
That is also good news. I would also like to ask the Minister what the government’s position is or strategy is with respect to the sustainability of the support for seniors given that some seniors do receive an extraordinary amount of support, basically living without having to worry about the cost of fuel or they’re living in government accommodation and they don’t have to worry about the cost of fuel or the cost of power. They don’t have to worry about who they’re going to pay to shovel the snow off their driveway. That cost, as compared to the cost of seniors who are much more supported, I think that would be a good way to describe it, what is the government’s plan to ensure the sustainability and fairness of the delivery of programs to seniors?
The bottom line is we know we have an aging population. We know that with an aging population we have additional challenges on our health care system, as well, on the supports that we do provide to seniors throughout the Northwest Territories. As the population ages, the costs will go up. We have to find ways to control our costs within the system. One of the ways we’re proposing is to support more aging in place and providing mechanisms to help seniors stay in their own homes for as long as they can before they have to transition into independent living or extended care or something like a dementia facility. We collect the data and we’re developing plans that will help us control our costs, recognizing that we will likely see increased costs over time.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Final, short supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’d like to take this one step forward. Does the government or the Minister know of any program that provides for reaching out to seniors who are currently living in their own accommodation to see how they are doing health-wise, expense-wise?
You go into buildings and you read in newspapers now and it says if you’re renting accommodation and you’re spending more than 30 percent of your household income on rent, come to the Housing Corporation and we’ll give you a subsidy. I’m not saying that’s a bad program; I’m saying that’s a very a proactive program.
I’d like to know what is our government doing to ensure that we actually know what’s going on with seniors who may not be coming to the local health centre, may not be coming to the local clinic or may not be members of the local seniors’ society. What are we doing to reach out to those who may be in their own homes and who are suffering under the weight of either health challenges or cost of living challenges?
That’s an interesting question and interesting concept. One of the things we are doing is the Seniors’ Handbook, that I already mentioned, that identifies the different types of programs. That is distributed to seniors in the territory and they have access to it through their local and territorial seniors’ societies. But with respect to any other push-type activity, I will talk to the department to see what we have and I will get back to the Member.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Nahendeh, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just want to follow up, as well, on nursing in small communities. The issue in Wrigley was they had the services there. They had policing and they had nursing. That was consequently withdrawn. So there are examples of nursing in small communities previously. We are asking again, let’s get these nurses back in the communities.
What progress has the department made towards hiring full-time nurses in Wrigley and other smaller communities? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Menicoche. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The community of Wrigley falls under the Tlicho Health and Social Services Authority, so the department has obviously been working with them to try to find a… Sorry, Dehcho Health and Social Services. Everyone looked at me all of a sudden. That can’t be a good thing, right?
It falls under the responsibility of the Dehcho Health and Social Services Authority. We have been working with them in the same way that we’ve been working with the Beaufort-Delta to try to find solutions for the small communities, Wrigley being one of them.
I can say that right now a community health nurse from Simpson visits the community three to four days a month, so there are people in there, nurses, on a regular basis. In addition, during freeze-up and breakup for four weeks twice a year we do locate the nurse in the community. So two out of 12 months there is somebody there and, on top of that, three to four days a month otherwise.
As I indicated previously, the department is reviewing the ISDM to ensure that the right health service and the right mix of staff is available in all communities. I will work with the Member, I will work with committee and I will work with the communities to find solutions. At the end of the day we want the same thing, which is better health, better care and a better future for all of our residents.
That’s exactly what the constituents want; they want better service.
The Minister brings up the Integrated Service Delivery Model. When the report came out in 2004, it was a step forward in moving towards enhancing services in our regions and communities. Has that model been re-examined since? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
There hasn’t been what I would call or consider a fully comprehensive review, but it has been tweaked over time and will continue to be so. We will continue to do that in order to meet the needs of our residents.
I hear the Member, I hear all the Members. We need to do more to improve our services in those communities. I am willing to work with committee, Members and communities to find solutions that work, recognizing that not all communities are the same and not all solutions are going to be the same. We are going to review the ISDM with respect to the matrix or mix of staff that’s available in communities and I will certainly have discussions with my colleagues. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It’s important and I’ve been making the case that with the increase in development in the Sahtu, the services of Wrigley are being impacted. There are needs there and I would like the Minister to review the Wrigley situation and say, yes, there is a definite need for an increase in services and work on that aspect, much like what happened in 1973 when they got a hospital in Fort Simpson, and policing and nursing in Simpson, because of increased development. Thank you.
Yes, we will do a review; yes, we will work with our Members; yes, we will work with the community and try to find solutions that work for them, recognizing that we do have some limitations in place or limitations affecting our ability to get actual nurses permanently located in the communities.
We are focused on and we believe in better health, better care and better results for our residents. We will do a review of the ISDM. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Menicoche.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. An additional point is we are already paying for nursing salaries, so it’s a matter of getting them to the communities. Can you review that as well? Thank you.
As we look at the ISDM with respect to the mix of staff that’s available in small communities, we will look at all options and we will consider all opportunities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Earlier today I spoke of some alarming statistics involving our daily intake of sugar and some of the national guidelines that will be forthcoming from the National Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
People, more than ever, are naturally hardwired to sugar and some have even coined sugar as a new tobacco of our generation. In the wake of the NWT’s successful Drop the Pop campaign, now, more than ever, the premise of an awareness campaign dedicated to sugar is highly warranted.
My questions will be for today’s Sugar Daddy, the Minister of Health and Social Services.
---Laughter
Mr. Speaker, the statistics quoted today were Canadian national averages from Statistics Canada. Does the Minister have any relevant NWT statistics on how much sugar is consumed daily by NWT residents? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Based on the reality that we have high rates of diabetes in the Northwest Territories, I would say our rate is high. I’m agreeing with the Member. Unfortunately, I don’t have any statistics available on hand to indicate what the consumption of sugar is in the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I was hoping for a sweeter answer than that. I will challenge the Minister and his department to research this a little bit more thoroughly.
That said, can the Minister indicate, with the pending guidelines on sugar consumption coming soon from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, what is his department doing in preparation of this announcement? Thank you.
The Department of Health and Social Services is obviously doing a number of things to try to curb the intake of sugar and other things such as tobacco. We do have the Drop the Pop, which the Member so clearly articulated. We do have dieticians and nutritionists available throughout the Northwest Territories to provide advice and guidance to our residents.
The Medical Association deals with patients on a regular basis. We have nurses in our communities who have well men and well women clinics encouraging people to eat healthy, live healthy, be healthy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Sugar is an addiction of sorts, and like all addictions, one needs to understand the root cause of its abuse.
Can the Minister indicate what he’s doing to deal with the root cause of more affordable, healthy eating choices in all communities and specifically what is he doing with daily sugar consumption for our residents? Thank you.
A number of the health promotion activities that we are undertaking indirectly address some of the consumption of sugar. I’m not sure and I can really speak to the specifics of whether we have programs aimed just purely at sugar, but I will get that information for the Member. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Dolynny.
I appreciate the Minister for his contribution. One only has to look at some quick Internet searches to see all the worldwide initiatives and awareness programs around the reducing of our sugar intake. One such initiative, called Action on Sugar, aims to help people avoid hidden sugars and tackles awareness.
Given the call for obesity in the Northwest Territories, will this Minister commit to a concerted effort to reduce NWT sugar intake by mirroring a similar campaign made for the NWT? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I’m not familiar with the particular campaign that the Member is talking about, but I like the premise and I like the concept. I would certainly like to sit down with committee and discuss how we can reduce sugar intake in the Northwest Territories. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are in line with Mr. Blake and Mr. Menicoche. I want to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services how many communities are without a full-time nurse in their communities. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe that number is 10: Sachs Harbour, Tsiigehtchic, Colville Lake, Jean Marie River, Kakisa, Nahanni Butte, Trout Lake, Wrigley, Wekweeti and Enterprise. So 10, Mr. Speaker.
So think about it, 10 communities do not have full-time nurses. They have a layperson, CHR, they have nurses come in once a month, if the weather is good, providing the plane is there, the winter road. There are 10 communities that day in and day out have no health centres. I would appreciate the Minister willing to go to bat to look at the model. We need to change the model. He says, “think outside the box.” I think I want to tell the Minister, rather than think outside the box, we need to get out of the box and see what we can do.
I want to ask the Minister, is he willing to commit to the House and to the people in the 10 communities, to this side of the government and this Cabinet here to say we have a plan, we’re willing to do this and we are going to put nurses in one of those communities so that next time it will be nine communities or eight communities? Can the Minister do that?
I’d like to just correct my last remark; it is nine communities. Sachs Harbour does have a nurse in charge and a CHN, so it is nine communities, so good progress there.
Mr. Speaker, it’s a similar response that I’ve had before. We are going to look at the ISDM; we are going to work with the Members and the communities to try and find solutions that work. I can’t commit to putting nurses in those communities at this time because we haven’t done the work. We need to figure out what will work to provide the residents the best care, the best health and the best results that we can. So, I will do that work; we will do that work and we will have those discussions with committee and Members. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, this Minister works pretty fast. Now he’s down from 10 to nine. I wish he could be the speed of light and then next week we could think about how we could get nurses into our communities and drop those numbers.
Given these nine communities without a permanent nurse, is there any type of analyses done across the communities where there are unique approaches to having full-time nurses and different types of programs that can bring a full-time nurse into the communities, given that the safety and health concern is a balance that this government – we have about a year, or just about 500 days – can put a plan together? I’ve seen magic work in this government. Where they can put a plan together, a business case and say, let’s start on this plan, is that something the Minister is willing to commit to?
Mr. Speaker, I’ve committed to having the department do a review of the ISDM with respect to the mix of professionals in our smaller, more remote communities and I’ll do that. We do need to be clear: all these communities do receive support and do receive health care services from the Department of Health and Social Services and its associated health and social services authorities. Colville Lake, by way of example, has a CHN in there for three days a month from Norman Wells and they do have community health workers, so there is some level of support there.
We are trying to enhance our ability to provide emergency response in those communities, and one of the ways we’re addressing some of those issues is through Med-Response, where the individuals in the community, the CHW, nurses and whatnot, will have a direct link to a doctor or physician, nurse practitioner or nurse who can help them through challenging situations.
We want to do more emergency training in the communities so that people and residents are prepared and ready for emergency response. Those things are going to continue and we need to do those, but we will do a review of the ISDM with respect to the matrix and mix of professionals in the communities and I will share that with Members as we proceed. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Yakeleya.
