The local area is getting some new primary health care as part of The North East Local Health Integration Network (NE LHIN) push for stronger systems of care for Aboriginals.
Noojmowin-Teg Aboriginal Health Access Centre is receiving $810,000 to expand Aboriginal Health Access Centre programs and services to Indigenous people in Espanola and Massey.
Noojmowin-Teg Health Centre executive director, Pamela Williamson, says she is pleased to receive funding for an expansion of primary care services to Anishinabe people living within Espanola and area. She added as a priority, the organization will seek to engage the community in greater awareness of the new services, develop pathways for referrals and linked services with Espanola partners, and ensure that the services respond to the needs of clients.
The new services will include a full-time nurse practitioner who will provide clinical services within the Espanola Family Health Team.
The Centre Place will house a full-time Indigenous mental health and addiction counsellor and cultural support worker and will include a culturally specific space for counselling and traditional services, as well as an activity space for workshops and cultural safety training.
In the fall of 2016, the LHIN published the North East LHIN Aboriginal Health Care Reconciliation Action Plan, which includes 24 calls to action and guides the LHIN’s work to build a stronger system of care for Indigenous Northerners.