Health Canada Programs and Activities to address FASD in First Nation & Inuit Communities

1. Health Canada Programs and Activities to address FASD in First Nation & Inuit Communities Building FASD State Systems Meeting San Francisco, CA May 11, 2006

2. Presentation Outline • Health Portfolio • FNIHB FASD Program • Asset Mapping • The First Nations Mentoring Program • Performance Measurement and Evaluation • Regional Activities • Future Plans

3. Government of Canada – FASD Commitment • 1996 Joint Statement on Prevention of FAS/FAE • Alcohol is a serious national health concern. • 2001 Speech from the Throne • Commitment to reduce the number of Aboriginal newborns affected by FAS by the end of the decade • 2002 Speech from the Throne • Commitment to provide Aboriginal communities with tools to address FAS and its effects • 2004 Speech from the Throne • Renewed commitment to target real change in FASD rates in Aboriginal communities. • 2005 Blueprint on Aboriginal Health • Signed by F/P/T and Aboriginal leaders • 10 year transformative plan • A roadmap to guide federal action and collaboration in closing the gap in health outcomes between Aboriginal peoples and Canadians as a whole.

4. Health Portfolio Pan-Canadian FASD Initiative • 1999 Budget • $5M per year ongoing; ($3.3 M (PHAC); $1.7 M (FNIHB)) • 2000 F/P/T ECD Agreement • $2.2 B to Provinces/Territories (FASD a priority for some) • 2001 Budget • $15 M ongoing for First Nations on-reserve • 2003 Renewal of Canada’s Drug Strategy • $1 M each year for 2004/05 and 2005/06 (PHAC)

5. Health Canada • Mission and Vision • Health Canada is the federal department responsible for helping the people of Canada maintain and improve their health • Health Canada is committed to improving the lives of all of Canada’s people and to making Canada’s population among the healthiest in the world as measured by longevity, lifestyle and effective use of the public health care system.

6. Health Canada (continued) What we do • In partnership with provincial and territorial governments, Health Canada provides national leadership to develop health policy, enforce health regulations, promote disease prevention and enhance healthy living for all Canadians. • The mandate of First Nations and Inuit Branch is to: • To improve health outcomes of First Nations and Inuit • To ensure availability and accessibility of quality health service • To support greater control of the health system by First Nations and Inuit

7. FNIHB FASD Program • Program goals • To reduce incidence of FASD Births • To lessen the impact of FASD on the quality of life of affected children and their families • Program Components • Capacity Building • Asset Mapping • Awareness, education and training • Community readiness to deal with FASD • Prevention • Mentoring • Targeted interventions for those at risk of having an FASD birth • Intervention • Multi-disciplinary teams • Support for parents and families of children affected

8. FNIHB FASD Program (con’t) Program Values Programming that is: • Community based and Community paced Delivery models that can be: • Community adopted or community adapted Performance Measurement and Evaluation for community benefit

9. Asset Mapping • Asset Mapping An approach to community planning that encourages communities to mobilize their community strengths (assets) to build supports around issues of concern in their community

10. What do we mean by Assets? Assets are the things we have in our communities that can help us Assets are categorized as • People – volunteers, athletes, historians • Community – programs, services, organizations • Professional – education, medicine, law • Physical – buildings, land, water, sacred areas • Economic – business development, training

11. The Asset Wheel Assets that Support Physical Growth Economic Assets Professional Assets Assets that Support Social Growth Physical Assets Community Assets Assets that Support Emotional Growth People Assets child parents Assets that Support Spiritual Growth Assets that Support Intellectual Growth

12. Building a Community Action Plan

13. The First Nations Mentoring Programs • A 3-year home visitation program for high-risk women using a para-professional model. • To create services that can be delivered grounded in First Nation culture and values there is time for planning and design. • 12 Programs actively delivering services to women

14. Performance Measurement and Evaluation Share information about • Developing programming with sound management practices • The underlying value of performance measurement • Community Benefit • How to measure performance effectively and efficiently • Plan Work with communities on practical application of knowledge

15. Regional Activities

16. Future Plans • Continue to • Build the evidence base for decision making • Support building community capacity • Strengthen public and professional awareness, knowledge and skills development • Support a multi-year research strategy to better understand FASD • Work to anchor FASD in broader programs in First Nations communities. • Strengthen Federal/Provincial/Territorial Partnerships • Collaborate with other federal departments and sectors, including

17. “Preventing one child from being born with FAS, more than earns you your life’s salary”Dr. GC Robinson, founder of the BC FAS Resource SocietyThank you