The Cree Nation has to take ownership of its health and social needs, and not just leave them to the Cree Health Board.
That’s the consensus that emerged out of the Special General Assembly on Health and Social Services (see News, page 9).
“It’s a Cree Nation issue,” said Abel Bosum, coordinator of the assembly. “Health is everybody’s problem.” We caught Bosum as he was putting the final touches on his report. He broke down the delegates’ comments into six “main grievances” and seven “major problem areas.”
GRIEVANCES
1. The Health Board is underfunded.
2. The feds and Quebec don’t recognize Cree jurisdiction over health, like they did with education. “This meant the Health Board has always been the slave of rules established by Quebec,” Bosum said. “The funding is tied to these rules. Therefore, innovation was not possible.”
3. Cree entities don’t work together on health. “They simply don’t communicate.”
4. Delegates complained of “inefficient and insensitive programming that does not reflect Cree needs,” said Bosum.
5. No Cree control. “Crees felt they had not taken charge of their own health problems. They were more the delivery agents for Quebec-designed programs.”
6. “The health side of the Cree Health Board should not overwhelm the social side. Delegates felt the social side was a sideline, never given the proper priority.”
MAJOR PROBLEM AREAS
1. Crees lag behind the rest of the province in social and health conditions “and are border-line with Third World conditions,” Bosum said. The culprit: again, lack of money.
2. No long-term objectives. “We have no health and social development. What we have instead is health and social management,” said Bosum.
3. Public health issues. Delegates said people with special needs may need priority on housing waiting lists; housing design should be accessible to those with disabilities; schools should emphasize phys. ed.
4. Environmental-health problems. Mercury and other pollution are still a problem; sanitation is poor.
5. The Cree Health Board’s programs have a lot of deficiencies. “Employees are generally dose-minded about traditional healing,” Bosum said. Also, “The system reacts but does not prevent.” Programs should be regularly re-evaluated with public input. Delegates supported the Health Board’s policy of maintaining non-insured benefits, like dental and eye care.
6. Capital needs. Nearly all band funds are spent on day-to-day operations, while equipment and facilities like housing and sanitation fall into disrepair. This impacts directly on health and social well-being.
7. Cree leadership. “There should be recognition of the Cree law-making capacity in health and social services,” Bosum said. “There’s plenty of Cree innovation. We need to tap into it and implement our own solutions.” The Grand Council of the Crees was asked to help the Health Board get more money and seek implementation of promises in the James Bay Agreement.
