Health care will be that much more accessible to First Nations members when the $1.3-million Gizhewaadiziwin Health Access Centre at Couchiching opens its doors by the end of the month.
“We’re definitely excited about it,” said Cathy Bruyere, executive director of the Fort Frances Tribal Area Health Authority.
The health authority, currently based in the Nanicost building, will be relocating to the access centre and greatly expanding the services it offers.
“We’re hoping it will be a single access point for all the services being offered to First Nations people,” noted Bruyere. “It’s our chance to address health status issues in our community in a concentrated fashion.”
The access centre will serve the 5,700 reserve residents of Tribal Area #10, as well as 200 urban-based status and non-status natives and 160 area Métis.
Programs and services available will include basic health care, health education, nutrition counselling, referral to traditional healing, diabetes education, long-term case management, and HIV/AIDS education.
The access centre will employ 19 full-time employees, including one physician and two nurse practitioners.
And starting in May, the access centre will be renting out space to the Fort Frances Health Centre, a medical services branch now located above the post office here.
“We will be travelling to communities and basically dealing with educating the public in areas such as pre-natal care [and] environmental health,” explained Jamie Adams, medical services zone director.
“It’s more lifestyles stuff,” he noted.
Adams said the role of the health centre as being similar to the Northwestern Health Unit here, with a focus on First Nations public health.
Construction of the access centre started in November when funds to build it were cemented by a $150,000 grant from the Northern Ontario Heritage Corp.
The majority of the bill, however, was footed by the health authority and its partners–the eight First Nation communities of Tribal Area #10, the United Native Friendship Centre, and Sunset Country Métis.
Although the access centre’s interior is nearly complete, the exterior won’t be finished for at least another month.
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