Good things to know if we want to close the gap in First Nations health in BC

Tue, November 17, 2009 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM UBC Point Grey Campus. The recent of adoption of the Transformative Change Accord, and the formation of the First Nations Health Council have resulted in a flurry of activity and discussion on how to best close the gap in First Nations health. In this presentation, Josée will focus on the First Nation on-reserve health care system in BC. She weaves together findings from different studies, such as the Evaluation of the Health Transfer Policy (Lavoie et al., 2005), the Aboriginal Health Policy Synthesis Project (Lavoie et al., 2009), and the Where to Invest Project (Lavoie et al., 2009), to show that there is strength in the First Nation on-reserve health care system as it exists today. Results from the Where to Invest Project show that communities with control over local health services, and with access to community-based primary care have lower rates of avoidable hospitalization, especially for chronic diseases. Dr. Josée Lavoie is Associate Professor with the Health Sciences Programs at the University of Northern British Columbia. She holds an appointment with the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba, and is affiliated with the Manitoba Centre for Aboriginal Health Research (CAHR). She is also affiliated with CHSPR.