PROGRAM (updated October 31, 2015)

Click here for information about the pre-conference workshops.

Click here to download a copy of the program in PDF format.
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
12:00 – 4:00 pm Exhibitor set-up
3:00 – 7:00 pm Registration
5:00 – 7:00 pm Opening Reception with Exhibitors
   
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
7:00 am - 4:00 pm Registration
7:00 – 7:30 am Sunrise Ceremony
Elder Otsitsakenra Patton, Kahnawake Mohawk Nation, QC
7:30 – 8:00 am Walking Tour
Start your day on the right foot and join us for a 30-minute walk before breakfast!
8:00 – 9:00 am Networking Breakfast with the Exhibitors
9:00 - 9:30 am Prayer / Greetings / Welcome
Prayer: Elder Otsitsakenra Patton, Kahnawake Mohawk Nation, QC
Welcome: Judy Sugar, CFNHM, Health Director, Piapot First Nation Health Services, SK and President, Board of Directors, First Nations Health Managers Association (FNHMA)
Welcome: Richard Budgell, Regional Executive Director, First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, Quebec Region, Health Canada
9:30 – 10:15 am Opening Plenary
Keynote Speaker: Chief Isadore Day, Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief, Ontario‎, Health Portfolio
10:15 – 10:45 am Health Break with the Exhibitors
10:45 am – 12:15 pm Concurrent Workshops
Workshop A The Power of Data
In collaboration with regional partners, the FNIGC conducts data gathering initiatives that allow us to build culturally relevant portraits of the lives of First Nations people and the communities they live in. The FNIGC recognizes that quality information, collected by First Nations for First Nations, has the power to change lives by influencing knowledge-based decision-making, and affecting policy and programs for all First Nations communities. This is the Power of Data.
In the nearly two decades since the RHS was launched in 1997, it has gone through 4 cycles and has collected quality, culturally relevant data from tens of thousands of First Nations people. This data has influenced and informed programs and policies such as the Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative, the Aboriginal Head Start On-reserve Program, the Children’s Oral Health Initiative, as well as Communicable Disease Control, Food Security and Nutrition, Healthy Living, Healthy Child Development and Mental Health and Addictions. The data has also been utilized to develop papers in the areas of Physical Activity (published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health), Oral Health, and Senior’s health.
This “Power of Data” presentation will highlight the role RHS data has played in shaping federal government policy and programs and by extension the positive impacts these decisions have had for those living in First Nations communities across the country. In addition, participants will learn about the work of the FNIGC, including the process of administering the national First Nations survey initiatives with our Regional Partners, and the work accomplished to date on OCAP®.
Speakers: Jerry Lanouette, Training and Development Coordinator, First Nations Information Governance Centre
Addie Pryce, Regional Health Survey and Capacity Development Coordinator, First Nations Information Governance Centre
Workshop B Promoting a Healthy First Nation Workplace
Mental wellness in a healthy workplace can be promoted through group and individual capacity building. Do you have an unhealthy workplace? The Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach has developed an approach to staff training that could be of immense benefit.
An unhealthy workplace can be caused by a lack of balance between the mental, physical, spiritual and emotional aspects of work-life. This balance can be restored through re-establishing purpose, hope, belonging and meaning as a part of our culture, by honoring ancestral knowledge, and by incorporating inherent ways to improve health services.
In Kawawachikamach, we have partnered with the Canadian Executive Services Organization (CESO) using the competencies framework created by the First Nations Health Managers Association (FNHMA) to develop a program to train staff in management that has proven to be highly successful over the past five years. An initial cadre of twelve staff from the community were guided through a self-assessment process by CESO Volunteer Advisors (VAs) using the framework of the FNHMA competencies. The strengths and gaps identified in these self-assessments were used to design a series of workshops which addressed the gaps and to guide the one-on-one mentoring of participants by the VAs.
Evaluations of the workshops have all been extremely positive and feedback from participants about their mentoring experiences talk about how they now feel more confident, more empowered, and how they have a better understanding of the environment in which they work.
The methodology developed in Kawawachikamach can easily be adapted to meet the needs of diverse First Nations around the country. And CESO has a variety of highly-experienced Volunteer Advisors who can work with you to put this program in place in your community.
Speakers: Al Garman, Volunteer Advisor, CESO
Keith Leclaire, CFNHM, Director General, CLSC Naskapi Kawawachikamach, QC
Edna Isabel Mameanskum, Administrative Assistant, CLSC Naskapi Kawawachikamach, QC
Workshop C Health Services Delivery Across Canada: A Historical Perspective, an Overview on What is Current and Innovative and a Vision for the Future
Speakers: Janet Gordon, Chief Operating Officer, Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority, ON
Patrice Lacasse, Governance Counsellor, First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Health and Social Services Commission, QC
Arnette Weber-Beeds, Executive Director, Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation Health Services, SK
Workshop D Interview on CAC Accreditation – Insights and Shared Experience
The Canadian Accreditation Council (CAC) works with a number of Aboriginal Health Services across Canada. We value the relationships that have been established to support excellence in practice. As an Accreditation body our focus has always been two-fold, the integrity of the accreditation process and enhancement of organizational capacity. We believe that accreditation should be designed to enable the organization to use the accreditation process to encourage learning, and development, as well as to establish structures, systems and practices that would sustain and enhance the organization’s capacity to achieve service excellence.
In this presentation we have brought together a panel of organizations that have undergone the CAC accreditation process in the past year in order to share their experiences and insight of the CAC accreditation program. Through an open interview process we will walk through their accreditation experience to discovery their struggles and where they found value within the process. Participates will have the opportunity to learn from their experiences and to ask questions about the value of accreditation.
Moderator: Calvin Wood, Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Accreditation Council
Speakers: Kimberly Fisher, Health Director, Chippewas of the Thames First Nation Health Centre, ON
Deridre Gerro, Director of Accreditation, Canadian Accreditation Council
Lillian Houle, Health Director, Ebb and Flow First Nation Health Authority, MB
12:15 – 2:00 pm Luncheon - Collaborative Healthcare Incorporating Traditional Indigenous Healing
Dr. Karen Hill is a Six Nations doctor who has worked to bridge the gap between Indigenous health values and the practice of western medicine. She was awarded the inaugural Royal College Dr. Dignan Indigenous Health Award from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Come learn how Dr. Hill was able to achieve her dream of practising medicine in a model of collaborative care that incorporates traditional Indigenous healing alongside primary care.
Juddah's Place is entirely self-sufficient, receives no government funding, and represents the model of health-care delivery our ancestors envisioned receiving when they agreed to Treaty Six and its 'medicine of chest clause,' which should be interpreted as meaning they can have access to the best medicines from both systems, Indigenous and western.
Speaker: Dr. Karen Hill, M.D., CCFP, Juddah's Place
2:00 – 3:30 pm Concurrent Workshops
Workshop E Lateral Violence: The Financial, Political and Social Costs
Lateral Violence (also sometimes referred to as horizontal violence, lateral aggression, internalized oppression) continues to obstruct the otherwise excellent work being done in the field of health care. From the early research in nursing, to a more contemporary focus within an aboriginal context, awareness is increasing of the negative impacts Lateral Violence has – on workplace morale and productivity, and client outcomes.
This session provides a lens through which to view the foundational causes of Lateral Violence (particularly in aboriginal community), as well as discussing “what it looks like” and the impacts on individuals, families, workplaces and communities. Strategies will be presented for organizations interested in addressing Lateral Violence in an effective and ethical way, and Case Studies will also be presented. With an increased focus on employee health and wellness from group insurers (including workers compensation boards) and all levels of government, Lateral Violence is an area that demands attention from leadership.
Speakers: Neil Burrows, President, Burrows Consulting
Linda Simon, Band Administrator, Lax Kw'alaams First Nation, BC
Workshop F First Nations, Inuit and Métis Empowerment Tool
Studies show that cancer incidences have risen dramatically in First Nations Inuit and Métis populations in recent decades; cancer is now among the top three causes of death in these communities. In many communities there is a lack of awareness about cancer, culturally relevant educational materials, and expertise to support patients and their families. In particular, barriers to palliative care in these communities include lack of communication among health care providers (HCPs) and between HCPs, patients and family members; systemic mistrust; a lack of palliative care education for HCPs, patients and families in these communities; a lack of HCP understanding related to culturally sensitive care; and a lack of palliative care resources. While some communities are developing palliative care programs to meet local needs, all communities require tools to support palliative care efforts.
Funded by The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC), guided by a national advisory committee of more than 25 representative people and in partnership with communities from across Canada, Canadian Virtual Hospice has developed educational videos in the voices of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people as well as complimentary text-based resources to enhance understanding, access, and provision of palliative care for these populations. Join us to learn about the development process, view the resulting educational resources and lend your voice to the evaluation process.
Speakers: Brenda Hearson, RN, MN, CHPCN(C), Clinical Nurse Specialist, Canadian Virtual Hospice
Karen Schmidt, CFNHM, Principal, Grassroots Consulting Services and FNHMA Instructor
Workshop G Honouring Our Strengths: Relying on Indigenous Culture to Promote Mental Wellness
The First Nations Mental Wellness Continuum Framework (FNMWC framework) identifies four broad indicators for which all investments towards mental wellness should be measured: Hope, Belonging, Meaning, and Purpose. This workshop will provide an overview of the FNMWC framework and the meaning of measurable indigenous mental wellness indicators. Additional knowledge translation tools are also presented: Indigenous wellness indicators, indigenous knowledge based definition of culture and wellness.
At the conclusion of this workshop, participants will have:
• Increased knowledge of an indigenous framework with indicators of wellness
• Increased knowledge of how the Framework can be used to help guide the design of mental wellness programming that meets Indigenous community needs and priorities.
• Increased knowledge about an indigenous wellness assessment instrument.
Speaker: Mary Deleary, Manager, Thunderbird Partnership Foundation
Workshop H Communicating Effectively
Communication can be a costly oversight to any organization if not properly executed. Choosing the right types of communication mediums is about understanding your ambition with the message. What effects are you looking for after you have communicated the message? Increased knowledge, better understanding more motivation or involvement, or do you want it to lead to some sort of action or changed behavior? Bigstone Health Commission (BHC) has invested time and tacit knowledge into a position that provides a communication strategy for the organization as a whole. Working with an internal focus group, BHC has managed to coordinate a very effective and affordable marketing team that manages all messages both internal and external. Come hear and learn about best practices in regard to communication for nonprofit organizations.
Speakers: Andy Alook, Project Coordinator, Bigstone Health Commission
Shianne McDermott, Marketing Coordinator, Bigstone Health Commission
3:45 – 4:45 pm Annual General Meeting (for FNHMA members in good standing only)
5:30 - 6:30 pm Reception with Exhibitors
6:30 – 10:30 pm Certified First Nations Health Manager (CFNHM) Convocation and Awards Banquet
Post-dinner entertainment: Midnight Renegade Band
   
Thursday, November 5, 2015
7:00 – 7:30 am Sunrise Ceremony
Elder Otsitsakenra Patton, Kahnawake Mohawk Nation, QC
7:30 am - 4:00 pm Registration
7:30 – 8:00 am Walking Tour [Meet in the main lobby of the hotel]
Start your day on the right foot and join us for a 30-minute walk before breakfast! We will discover a new route on Day 2 of the conference!
8:00 – 9:00 am Networking Breakfast with the Exhibitors
9:00 – 10:00 am Plenary
Mr. Stephen Kakfwi, Founder and President of Canadians for a New Partnership and former Premier of the NWT will discuss the newly created Canadians For a New Partnership’s goal, history and role in creating innovative partnerships. Mr. Kakfwi will also discuss ideas on how to involve membership in implementing the calls to action recommended in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Report.
Speaker: Stephen Kakfwi, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadians for a New Partnership and Former Premier of the Northwest Territories
10:00 – 10:30 am Health Break with the Exhibitors
10:30 am – 12:00 pm Concurrent Workshops
Workshop I Punching the Clock: How Off-Duty Conduct Affects the Employment Relationship
What type of off-duty conduct is relevant for the purposes of the employment relationship? Can the employer discipline an employee for their actions off company time? How can an employer manage a conflict between employees that occurs outside of the workplace? These issues will be examined in greater detail in order to guide employers as to their rights and obligations in regards to the off-duty conduct of their employees.
The speakers will review frequently cited issues on this topic and will provide practical guidance for employers. In addition, they will comment on proactive measures that may be taken by employers to address potential issues and liability relating to off-duty conduct.
Speakers: Stuart S. Aronovitch, Lawyer, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
Michael D. Grodinsky, Associate, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
Workshop J How to Become a Certified First Nations Health Manager (CFNHM)
Are you interested in becoming a Certified First Nations Health Manager (CFNHM)? Are you interested in professional development?
Join FNHMA staff to learn about the Certified First Nations Health Manager (CFNHM)designation. There are two pathways to certification: Courses and Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR). FNHMA offers 5 exciting courses in First Nations health management that lead towards your certification and FNHMA will recognize and honor the experiences that you already bring to your profession.
During this workshop we will walk you through the options available to you!
Moderator/Speaker: Marion Crowe, CFNHM, CAFM, Executive Director, First Nations Health Managers Association
Speaker: Jim Pealow, Special Advisor, First Nations Health Managers Association
Workshop K Governance Standards for Aboriginal Health Services- A Collaborative Journey
Aboriginal Health Services (AHS) organizations currently use the Qmentum Governance standards. The Governance standards support health organizations in meeting demands for excellence in governance practice. The standards are grouped into four key functions: Functioning as an effective governing body, Developing a clear direction for the organization, Supporting the organization to achieve its mandate and Being accountable and achieving sustainable results. In response to AHS organizations and using an ongoing quality improvement process to maintain the relevance and applicability of the standards, Accreditation Canada (AC) is strengthening the Governance standards to better reflect the context and structure of AHS organizations.
This presentation will provide an overview of how AC is working in partnership with AHS clients to develop standards relevant to Aboriginal communities. The collaborative approach used to revise and adapt the Governance standards for AHS organizations will be shared. An iterative process of collating feedback to revise the standards content was used. AC`s Program Development and Client Services teams will deliver the presentation together with an AHS client representative.
Participants will receive an overview of the revised Governance standards for AHS, before the official release, which will occur in early 2016. Attendees will also have the opportunity to learn how Governance standards can help them build capacity in their organization and how organizations working in partnership can achieve goals to improve health services across communities.
Speakers: Corrine (Kory) Duck Chief, Accreditation Coordinator, Siksika Health Services, AB
Janice E. McVeety, Accreditation Product Development Specialist, Accreditation Canada
Hélène Tassé, Accreditation Specialist, Accreditation Canada
Workshop L Tell us what you need and we’ll build it together: Government-community partnerships for cancer prevention and support in the Northwest Territories
In October 2015 the Government of the Northwest Territories Department of Health and Social Services (GNWT-HSS) completed its first five-year cancer strategy. In the context of limited funds, human resources, and infrastructure, government-community partnerships offer innovative, cost-effective solutions to improve the cancer patient experience.
Among GNWT-HSS partners, the communities of the Northwest Territories (NWT) are arguably the most important. Communities have the purest understanding of their needs and challenges, thus their input is crucial to design sustainable programs. They also advise on matters such as culturally appropriate care, traditional ways of healing, and appropriate terminology.
The GNWT-HSS follows a community engagement approach based on knowledge exchange, collaborative planning, and respect. Cancer sharing circles—where communities share experiences, voice concerns, and learn about cancer—prove to be highly effective to initiate conversations about cancer and identify community-based solutions. Participants leave with knowledge and motivation to own these solutions and access support from their local leaders, regional organizations, and the GNWT-HSS.
In 2012, a cancer sharing circle took place in Fort Good Hope. The community has since begun cancer terminology development in the local language and formed a committee that meets regularly to address challenges in cancer prevention and support. At their request, the GNWT-HSS provides financial, logistical, and in-kind support for their work, including the development of a community strategic plan for cancer that will align with the territorial cancer strategy.
Government-community as part of a community-based strategy for sustainable improvement to cancer care in the NWT partnerships can drive community action. Community members with the capacity to support one another enhance the capacity of the health system as a whole. In the long term, the GNWT-HSS aims to establish a community-to-community mentorship and support model.
Speakers: Melinda Laboucan, Wellnes Coordinator, K’asho Got’ine Charter Community Band, NWT
Kristin Vician, Cancer Projects Officer, Project Manager, Continuity of Care, Strategic Cancer Initiatives, Aboriginal Health and Community Wellness Divison, Government of the Northwest Territories
12:00 – 1:45 pm Luncheon - Update on the Auditor General’s Recent Report on Access to Health Services for First Nations Communities and Presentation of the Operation Blue Sky: Aboriginal Health Initiative Award

Speaker: Joe Martire, Principal, Office of the Auditor General of Canada
Award Presentation: Clayton Norris, Vice President, Aboriginal Services, MNP LLP
1:45 – 3:15 pm Concurrent Workshops
Workshop M Pilot Program Experience of the Community Alert and Response for Elders (CARE)
At this workshop you will learn about the The Community Alert & Response for Elders system (CARE) through the eyes of the Eagle Village First Nation Health Centre. CARE is a new tier of tele-service specifically created from a proven, reliable and robust technology platform to deliver an effective and culturally appropriate service to meet the unique, dynamic and diverse needs of our First Nation communities. It delivers a service that allows for Elders to age at home safely – giving every First Nation access to a new support service that is effective, simple, and non-intrusive. It reflects the unique cultures, languages and holistic elements of First Nations communities. CARE provides service through an automated call system and wellness check that connects with Elders daily to ensure their good health.
Join Eagle Village First Nation health staff to hear about how CARE allows you to establish contact on a scale as detailed and often as you like - with the content that meets the individual needs of EACH Elder in your community.
Speakers: Donald Barraclough, President and Chief Executive Officer, Community Alert & Response for Elders (CARE) and FNHMA Corporate Member
Carole Bissessar, Senior Director, Deployment of Solutions & Business Development, Community Alert & Response for Elders (CARE)
David McLaren, CFNHM, Health Director and Portfolio Councillor, Eagle Village First Nation, QC, and Vice-President, FNHMA Board
Workshop N “Wii Kwan De Taa” (Bringing People Together for a Sacred Purpose)
Through our traditional cultural knowledge, we breathe spirit into our practice. This is the leadership principle that we have adopted at the Behavioral Health Services Unit of Fort Frances Tribal Area Health Services. The BHSU is an adult mental health and addictions service that works for/with ten First Nations communities in southern Treaty #3 in NW Ontario. This presentation will take the participant through the presenters ‘story’ of creating a shift in paradigm from cultural dormancy to cultural awareness/utilization through the building of an Agency sacred bundle (big drum, eagle staff, pipes), opportunities for staff “knowledge bundle” acquisition (inductive traditional teachings/ceremony ‘training’), and incorporation of culturally based practice bundles.
The presentation will include a traditional opening with smudging ceremony, hand drum song, and brief sharing/introduction circle. The presentation will utilize a traditional oratory ‘story telling’ to describe how inherent knowledge and scared sanctioning were utilized throughout the process.
This presentation will describe how the traditional ‘code of ethics’ embedded within the seven sacred teachings of the Anishinaabe were harmonized into the contemporary best practices in mental health and addictions curriculum for an continuum of care for holistic healing and wellness.
Speakers: Lori Flinders, Director of Behavioral Health Services, Fort Frances Tribal Area Health Services, ON
Calvin Morrisseau, Executive Director, Fort Frances Tribal Area Health Services, ON
Workshop O Transfer Value in Budgeting at a Personal Level and for an Organization
Participants in this workshop will be introduced to preparing and monitoring budgets at a personal level and for an organization. There is a significant amount of transfer value in budgeting for your household and budgeting for your organization. There will be a focus on the criteria that one can develop that assists in budget preparation and monitoring expenditures. The session is geared to non-accountants and will be interactive with participants.
Speaker: Terry Goodtrack, MPA, B. Admin, CPA, CGA, CAFM, CAPA, President and CEO, AFOA Canada
Workshop P First Nations Land-Based Programs and Initiatives
This session will focus on land-based programs and initiatives that exist in most First Nations across Canada. Elders and community members have advocated for land-based programs for individual, family and community health, healing and wellness. In the past First Nations people were healthier than today and this is because of modern changes in lifestyle, diet and environment. Over the past few decades land-based programs were demonstrated to work but have had difficulty sustaining themselves for various reasons.
This session will focus on the evidence-base for these programs, development of land-based program manuals and evaluating program results, as follows:
- Indigenous and western evidence-base on land-based activities;
- Land-based program manuals focusing on traditional knowledge, safety and results; and
- Evaluation of programs that ask "did participants’ health improve from a holistic perspective?"
The session will draw from a variety of land-based experiences across Canada from a health, education, justice, mental health, etc., perspective. Communities have linked land-based activities such as walking, snowshoeing and canoeing to improving overall health, outdoor education, restorative justice, stress reduction and many other purposes. Participants will learn from existing experience and research to enable them to think about developing and implementing land-based programs in their communities.
Speakers: Simon Brascoupé, CFNHM, Adjunct Research Professor, Carleton University
Meaghan Weatherdon, PhD Student, University of Toronto
3:15 – 4:00 pm Closing Plenary - The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and First Nations Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB) Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) Joint Review - An Update
Speaker: Stephanie O'Brien, Strategic Policy Advisor, Safe, Secure and Sustainable Communities, Assembly of First Nations and FNHMA Board Member
4:00 – 4:15 pm Wrap-Up and Closing Prayer
Wrap-Up: Judy Sugar, CFNHM, Health Director, Piapot First Nation Health Services, SK and President, Board of Directors, First Nations Health Managers Association (FNHMA)
Closing Prayer: Elder Otsitsakenra Patton, Kahnawake Mohawk Nation, QC