LAC SEUL — A new agreement between the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority and Tikinagan Child and Family Services promises better support for families and communities, officials say.
The two organizations signed a memorandum of understanding during the health authority’s annual general meeting in September in Lac Seul First Nation. They will “co-develop strategies and joint initiatives to support healing from intergenerational trauma, address mental health and addictions, and strengthen families and communities in the Kiiwetinoong region,” said a media release issued by the health authority.
“It’s an important step forward, I think, in terms of getting the synergies between our organizations together and looking at ways that we can collaborate for service delivery and share information and best practices,” Brian Calleja, the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority’s vice president of finance and corporate services and short-term acting CEO and president told Newswatch.
“We learning from each other and we’re learning what works and what doesn’t in certain circumstances.”
“This agreement reflects the shared vision of both organizations,” Thelma Morris, Tikinagan’s executive director was quoted as saying in a media release announcing the MOU.
“By working together, we create new opportunities for collaboration and make a bigger impact for the families and communities we serve.”
The release stated the partnership will focus on three areas: developing more regional approaches to providing services, sharing information and advocating for “the health and wellness of First Nations communities.”
Officially banding together and collaborating should also give the two entities more power when doing that advocacy, Calleja said.
“If we’re working together as our two organizations and we’re seeing issues that are having deep impacts on our communities and we’re trying to address change, then this gives us a stronger voice, I think, for advocacy if we’re working together to address those issues,” he said.
The two organizations have worked together on files that impact children and families in the past, Calleja said, but this formalizes a more structured agreement.
“I think this really marks a step forward and us being very deliberate in working together, and creating a real partnership for our communities,” he said.
The two organizations largely serve the same communities. The Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority provides a number of health care services to 33 First Nations in northern Ontario.
