CHRs Given Warm Saskatchewan Welcome

Ivan McNab

An opening reception was hosted on Thursday evening by the Saskatchewan CHR Association. Ivan McNab was the M.C. for the reception and welcomed, entertained and encouraged CHRs.

Darlene Arnault, Director of Health for the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN), spoke to the delegation. She introduced herself as a Cree Indian woman and an RN by trade.

"As a nurse, I know what your position is and how critical it is to our communities. But does the government know?" she asked. She talked about the climate of government cutbacks. She also talked about the changing role of CHRs. "You are a critical health link and it must be preserved," she said.

Ms. Arnault suggested that it is now time to document the work of the CHRs in the communities. CHRs are the link into the communities, knowing them better than anyone else. She noted it is time to start looking at standardization of job descriptions and salary grids.

She reminded the group that CHRs and nurses are part of a health team and it is the team work that counts. "We are not only teachers, but the clients we serve are mirrors. It is a two-way street. We learn from the community and they learn from us."

Ms. Arnault closed her remarks using the example of a reed. One reed breaks easily. When many reeds are bundled together they become impossible to break. "I encourage you to work together to continue to promote the work you are doing."

Changing Role of the CHR

Lynda Gamble, president of the Saskatchewan CHR Association and a CHR with Willow Cree Health of the Beardy and Okemasis First Nation, also extended welcoming remarks to the group.

The Saskatchewan CHR Association has been actively working to train and support their 120-plus members. They started their first training sessions in 1993 with a two-week CHR Training Pilot Project and haven't looked back since.

Ms Gamble talked to In Touch about the change in roles she has seen over the years. "When I started we mostly assisted nurses. Now we're venturing out on our own. Health care has evolved. For example, we used to have one nurse and now we have three." A significant change has been that CHRs now play a more hands-on role by teaching a variety of classes such as cooking classes, prenatal and postnatal classes, teaching moms to make baby food, teaching First Aid, designing programs and so on. There is also more administrative paperwork. But through all of this, Ms. Gamble believes the payoff is the increasing self-confidence among CHRs.

"Now we are part of a health team. We are being given more responsibility and becoming more accountable," she said.

Introducing the National Training Session Elder

Shirley McNab was the Elder for the 2002 National Training Session. She opened each of the sessions with prayer and words of encouragement to the delegation. Ms. McNab is from the Gordons First Nation. She is no stranger to NIICHRO as she served as a CHR from 1974-1990. She sat on the NIICHRO board in those early years and appreciated the exposure to issues faced by CHRs across the country. She stated that this forced her to have a more national perspective. In 1990-1999 she served as an advisor to the South Zone of the Saskatchewan CHR Association.

Ms. McNab recalled taking her first six-week training in 1974. In 1981 she took the LPN course to be more knowledgeable for her community. She found that people were more educated in the communities and therefore she too needed to know more to serve them well.

What advice would she give to new CHRs? "Be willing to work with people at their level. Talk to them. You have to really want to work as a CHR. It is a hard position in the community because a lot is expected from you. You have to be caring. You have to really care for the people in the community."

Thank you to the CHRs in Saskatchewan for their work in organizing this event and for the Conference Survival Pack!

Thank you to all the staff and board members who made this a successful National Training Session - a special note of appreciation to Jacques Bélanger, Star Horn and Elm Printing for their extra effort in ensuring that the kits were completed!