Just bear with me here.
Technical difficulties? It's okay, it's your guys' time.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. We have issues you know, people on the street have issues with, you know, addictions and health issues. We also have people who are in isolation that have those similar issues. And what I see that would be beneficial for, at least the community of Hay River and because it's a regional centre, is if we had access to medical social services people. And I would ask the Minister if there are any such positions within either the NTHSSA or the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority at this point? Thank you.
Thank you. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Madam Speaker, and thank you for the question. NTHSSA offers adult services which is social work services for people who are not children or youth, often people who are street involved. That position does not exist at the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority right now. I think there are some of the staff in the authority who are assisting people who need these services off the side of their desk, so not a proper medical social worker position. Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Can the Minister give me, I guess, a brief explanation of exactly what the duties would be or what the responsibilities would be for a medical social worker? And she said that they were sort of being provided off the side of a desk, and has that been beneficial. Thank you.
Yes, thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, some of the things that the medical social worker would do is to assist the person to get into housing, assist them to get into treatment, assist them to obtain income support, assist them to obtain referrals for medical care if such referrals are necessary, referrals to counselling, completing Jordan Principle applications, getting them set up with a proper ID whether that's a birth certificate, a general identity card, or whether it is a driver's licence. So this is a position that facilitates people's access to services that may be provided directly by that individual but may also be provided by other service providers within the government. And so I think that the point here is that the person who is without services has a navigator to assist them to find services appropriate to their situation. Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Can the Minister also confirm if the medical social workers would be required to have, I guess, clients just attend the health centre or their offices where they're working at, or would the person be able to go out on the street and to where actually, you know, clients are and, you know, people who probably wouldn't normally attend to the hospital, because I guess I'm just thinking about Hay River and the number of people on the street there and, you know, some of the things that she did mention is probably things that we as MLAs already do in the community. So, you know, I'm just wondering, you know, if there's flexibility there. Thank you.
Yes, thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, this is a very important role, and I appreciate the Member's efforts to do this work as well, for his constituents. I don't see reason that the medical social worker would not go and see people where they are, but I'm not familiar with their work flow, but it makes sense that it would be broader than just having people attend the health centre or the building that flooded downtown in order to obtain services. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister. Final supplementary. Member for Hay River South.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, would the Minister commit to finding the funding for the placement of two medical social workers with the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority? Thank you.
Madam Speaker, I'm so relieved to be able to say yes. Yes. The Hay River Health and Social Services Authority is applying for two medical social worker positions for exactly the reasons that the Member has outlined, the demand and the severity of need in the streetinvolved population is such that these positions need to be created and staffed fulltime. Thank you.
Thank you. Oral questions. Member for Monfwi.
