Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the department is working with the Tlicho government and NTCSA to build capacity for diabetes management, prevention, and awareness programs aimed to help people with diabetes management of their condition, raise community awareness to prevent -- yeah, so diabetes engagement.

So one of the things that they're doing is they're doing this -- they're going to be doing this through workshop cooking classes and cultural programs. It is a piece of the primary care reform that will be in the Tlicho, so on chronic disease management. That is the piece that will be...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in the discussions that I'm having with NTHSSA and the public administrator, this is some of the work that I would be expecting them to do. I know that the public administrator has met with the medical association. I know that they are scheduled to meet with CAN. I know that, you know, there is ongoing work that he takes part in the town halls hearing from frontline staff. He works directly with NTHSSA. You know, with the PA for Hay River, this is the work that they're doing, as well as the Tlicho. You know, there is a lot of work that is going on...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to remind all residents NWT family violence supports are available for all residents, and that includes elders. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, elder abuse is a whole-of-government approach. The Department of Health and Social Services runs a territorial-wide annual elder abuse awareness campaign in recognition of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. The department also maintains web pages and prints resources with information about elder abuse and available services. Most recently, the 2024 Seniors Information Handbook incorporated a more robust safety and security section covering consumer protection, emergency food and shelter, preventing and reporting crime, which includes frauds, scams, and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when the department reached out to home care families, those families are a variety of issues that, you know, they're from families that are providing care to young children to members with -- like, with dementia. And I encourage if there were no -- if they're living with people with dementia and supporting family members that home care is a support. So if they're not accessing that service, I just want to make sure that they know that that's a service that they can be accessing. But currently, the NTHSSA does not have funding for -- for the question...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, primary care reform -- you know, as it's rolling out into the small communities, what we do have actually is a form of primary care in the communities right now. But what we need to be doing is we need to be looking at all of our communities, and that's what the working group is established for small communities and health cabins, to be looking at what are the needs of those communities and how are we going to be able to provide the services that are needed in those small communities, knowing that not every small community is going to have a resident...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do not sit at the bargaining table when the collective agreements are being negotiated. There is a team that does that. However, they do -- health does carry that football and brings it over as part of those -- all of those things that they're hearing from their staff. And, you know, and I think that when the Member relates to different regions in different provinces, we have to bargain -- like, we can only do what we can do within our collective agreement and that agreement now is a new agreement that we have to follow for the next -- I think it is until 2027. Thank...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the kudos on the recruitment. You know, that is thanks to the Department of Finance working in collaboration. They lead this area. And the work that's being done within the health authority, there is the strategic planning that is going on right now with the new recruitment and retention policy that's going on, and that will be released, I think, this spring. I don't have the exact details or time. I can -- and within the -- each authority, what we've been doing right now is we've been doing the town halls. We've completed -- we just most...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the department commits to looking into the Member -- with the Dene Nation, whatever services that they're providing, we can get back to the Member on if there has been conversations back and forth with the Dene Nation. But the senior handbook does provide a lot of resources to ensure that elders receive necessary supports. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, while I can't commit to a review on a specific topic, I can commit to reviewing approaches to specialized health services as part of the larger system sustainability work that's underway. The Department of Health and Social Services and EIA are in partnership with the health sustainability unit, and Members are aware that this work is taking place to establish an inventory of core and insured services, and type of specialized mental health services could be considered as part of this work. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.