Richard Jock, Executive
Director,
National Aboriginal Health
Organization
(NAHO)
Richard Jock is a Mohawk from the Akwesasne reserve, located on the borders of Quebec, Ontario and New York State. He is the Executive Director of the National Aboriginal Health Organization and graciously accepted our invitation to give the keynote address at the Coming Full Circle Conference. This article presents highlights of his presentation about NAHO:
NAHO’s Background:
NAHO is an Aboriginal designed and controlled body dedicated
to improving the physical, mental, social and spiritual health
of Aboriginal peoples. Its vision is to influence and advance
the health and well-being of Aboriginal peoples by carrying out
knowledge-based strategies. According to its website, the organization
has set forth the following five main objectives to accomplish
this worthwhile goal:
1. Improve and promote health through knowledge-based activities.
2. Promote understanding of health issues affecting Aboriginal
people.
3. Facilitate and promote research and develop research partnerships.
4. Foster participation of Aboriginal people in the delivery
of health care.
5. Affirm and protect traditional Aboriginal healing practices.
To ensure ongoing communication among Aboriginal people at the
grassroots level, the Board of Directors is composed of people
with community-oriented professional backgrounds such as doctors,
youth and justice workers, nurses, and chiefs.
Where people get their health information:
In a recent poll conducted among Aboriginal peoples at the community
level, NAHO asked the respondents where they get their health
information. Not surprisingly, the highest number of individuals
went to a doctor, and Community Health Representatives (CHRs)
came in a close second. Represented statistically, the percentage
of respondents going to a physician was 29 per cent, to CHRs,
20 per cent, to nurses, 13 per cent and 5 per cent went to a
pharmacist. The percentage of persons seeking health information
via pamphlets and other mechanisms was very low, indicating that
Aboriginal people seek information on a person-to-person basis.
It is very clear that CHRs are very much valued and it is important
for the health system to recognize that.
The health system in a state of change:
At the national level, the 2001/2002 Romanow Commission (also
referred to as “The Commission on the Future of Health Care
in Canada”) dialogued with the public to inquire
about the kind of health care system it wants. The findings of
this inquiry have many implications for First Nations and other
Aboriginal peoples in Canada. One of these is the establishment
of an overall “Canada Health Council,” which really
presents an opportunity for Aboriginal participation. This is
important because in the past, the provincial and federal ministers
have been the sole group to work on, make decisions, or promote
directions in health care and Aboriginal people have been excluded
from this process. It is vital that Aboriginal people have a
full place and full participation in those changes.
Tele-health and Aboriginal peoples:
Tele-health is a means of sharing health information and providing
health care services using interactive video, audio, computers
and advanced telecommunication technologies. One of its major
goals is to improve health services for remote and rural residents
by providing more equitable access to health care professionals
and medical information. One example of its use is explained
at the Human Resources Development Canada website: “With
all of the technological connections in place, it is possible
for a doctor in a major southern area such as Edmonton to conduct
an examination on a patient in High Level, 700 kilometers away.
Health care professionals can use
cameras to zoom in for a closer look or manipulate special scopes
to view a patient’s ears, eyes, or mouth. The health care
practitioners can also send digitized images of x-rays, ultrasounds,
EEGs and scans electronically across the
province and beyond for immediate interpretation by specialists.
All of this can be accomplished without the patient ever having
to leave his community!”
Key targets of Tele-health are Aboriginal and/or remote communities
and there are a lot of possibilities for improving health services
to Aboriginal people, including specific populations such as
their elderly.
Health research and Aboriginal people:
According to NAHO’s website, the organization recognizes
that health research for Aboriginal people is not limited to
the physical well-being of the individual. Research needs to
include the cultural, social and emotional health of the
individual, his/her family, his/her extended family, and the
community. It also needs to include the historical context and
determinants of health, such as education, housing, employment
and community infrastructure.
NAHO’s vision includes the provision of information and
knowledge. The old adage, ‘knowledge is power’, is
relevant here and it is therefore important for communities to
be involved in their own research and for the information gathered
to be protected. It is generally well known that research has
not always been to the benefit of the communities involved and
it is in the interest of Aboriginal communities to change that
situation. Aboriginal peoples do not want to feel they are being
‘researched to death’. Rather, they desire to know
how such research can be beneficially used.
To find out more about NAHO, readers are invited to visit their
website at www.naho.com
