General Health Transformation FAQs
What is Health Transformation?
Health Transformation at SCO is a community-based and community-driven process that is focused on building an improved healthcare system guided by the beliefs of the southern Anishinaabe and Dakota First Nations, balanced with western medicines.
How did Health Transformation at SCO come to be?
SCO Health Transformation began in 2019, shortly after a SCO Chiefs-in-Summit resolution, Exercising our Treaty, and Inherent Right to Health.
The vision of Health Transformation is to close the 11-year gap in life expectancy between southern First Nation citizens and all other Manitobans.
What is a healthcare system?
A healthcare system is the organization of people, institutions, and resources that deliver health care services to meet the health needs of a given population or community.
How is a First Nation healthcare system going to be different from the current healthcare system in Manitoba?
The proposed approach to building a First Nation healthcare system puts the First Nations in control of healthcare. The southern First Nation healthcare model is community-based, community-led, following the ancestral and traditional ways of life with a balance of western medicine to ensure holistic health is achieved and maintained.
This means a healthcare system that is Indigenous led, trauma informed, and culturally safe that offers communities:
· the choice of traditional medicines and knowledge
· a culturally safe, prejudiced free space to access health services, and
· local access and language immersion
What are the 5 key Health priorities of communities that make up the 34 southern First Nations?
1. Community-Based Primary Care Services
2. A Cultural and Traditional Knowledge Foundation to Health Care
3. Increased Mental Health & Addictions Programs and Services
4. Increased Elder Programs and Services
5. More Health Human Resources
Who is my Community Health Transformation Liaison?
The Community Health Transformation Liaisons (CHTLs) are local community connectors and knowledge gatherers at the grassroots level that drive engagement in community. Check out our Community Health Transformation Liaisons page for a full list of the Southern Chiefs’ Organization CHTLs.
How can I get involved?
O-Nii-Gah-Neek Mino Ayawin. We are leaders in our own health. Health Transformation at SCO is an opportunity for you to take control of your community health and health outcomes. Through community health events, media campaigns, forums, focus groups, advisory committees and so much more, space is created for all southern First Nation community member voices to be heard. See how you can be involved by reaching out today!
W: scoinc.mb.ca/health-transformation/
T: 204.946.1869 | TF: 1.866.876.9701
Hours: Monday – Friday
8:30am -4:30pm
E: health@scoinc.mb.ca
Information in a Good Way FAQs
What is Information in a Good Way?
Information in a Good Way is an approach to data sovereignty and governance supported by resolution at the September 2021 Chiefs-in-Summit. It looks at the way the southern 34 manage their individual community’s data. It is Health Transformation’s commitment to Data Sovereignty, which means putting the control over information use, sharing and storage into the hands of the people that created it – YOU!
What does Information in a Good Way mean for the Southern Anishinaabeg and Dakota First Nations?
At the direction of the Information in a Good Way resolution, SCO aims to help communities build information systems, support First Nation data ownership, and help train the next generation of Indigenous data and information experts. The goal is for southern First Nations’ youth to lead the new age of decolonized data sovereignty.
How does Information in a Good Way link to Health Transformation?
The Information in a Good Way resolution is guided by SCO’s Health Transformation Data & Evaluation subcommittee, which is composed of First Nations Health Directors, various data experts, Elders and knowledge keepers (Grandmothers and Grandfathers), leadership, and community members.
Health Transformation is working towards building a decolonized healthcare system that is rooted in taking back control over the systems that directly impact First Nation lives. This includes First Nation health data and information systems.
Health Transformation Community Engagement FAQs
What is the Community Engagement process at SCO Health Transformation?
To date, Health Transformation has conducted two rounds of community engagement. The first round of community engagement was conducted in the Spring- Late fall of 2020. This first round of engagement used the following tools for engagement with different subgroups in our 34 Southern First Nation communities:
- Meetings
- Information sessions
- Interviews
- Survey
- Asset Mapping for baseline
What are the guiding principles that inform Health Transformation’s community engagement?
Throughout the community engagement process, individual community members, health teams and Leadership have communicated several guiding principles that are informed by Dakota and Anishinaabe ways of knowing. These include:
- Health Self-Determination: Deliver person-centered care and strive for continuous quality improvement of care. Empower patients and their families to be the owners of the health-care system and their health-care choices.
- Language and culture: Promote the development and support the use of cultural ways of healing, traditional medicines, land-based healing, traditional healers, and holistic care. Promote and support the use of our Anishinaabe and Dakota languages in Health Care
- Health Care Equity: Seek equal outcomes, rights and respect for all people as they experience the health care system.
- Good Governance: Ensure accountability, fiscal responsibility, transparency, open lines of communication, full control of all hires, control over programs and services and community involvement (including youth and elders) in decision making at all levels of the health care governance structure.
- Optimal Health Care Standards: Promote the development and support of improved service delivery that is culturally safe, sensitive and confidential, delivered with minimal delay that fosters mutual respect for both the individual, the provider and the circle of care.
- Strong infrastructure: New improved service delivery that meets the needs of the community, including buildings, equipment, roads, transportation, etc.
Who are the community Health Transformation Liaisons?
The Community Health Transformation Liaisons directly support the community engagement work being done in community by:
- Setting up Health Transformation sessions and events in their First Nation community and region.
- Coordinating activities on the Health Transformation Initiative for the community, its members, and its leadership.
- Working with their Health Director on the collection of wisdom, advice, feedback, and guidance from the community.
- Providing assistance and support for events that may be held outside the community as needed
- With the aid of the SCO Health Team, helping respond to community requests for resources and information on the Health Transformation Initiative and how to get involved.
How can I get involved?
To learn more about how you can get involved and help create this ground-breaking health transformation, contact your Community Health Transformation Liaison or the SCO Health Team at 204-946-1869 or SCO’s General Health email at Health@scoinc.mb.ca. You can also visit SCO’s website at https://scoinc.mb.ca/health-transformation/