Glen Abernethy

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. A universal newborn hearing screening program was introduced as part of the GNWT’s Early Childhood Development Action Plan, 2001-2004. Stanton, the audiology department there has been delivering the universal newborn hearing screening program since June 2004, which is called the IHP, or the Infant Hearing Program.

This program is delivered at all birthing centres in the Northwest Territories and aims to identify infants with permanent hearing loss by the time they’re three months old and provide the necessary services to support communication development by the time they...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We’re actually on track to finalize an action plan, and the action plan will include outstanding items from the department’s response to the 16th Legislative Assembly Standing Committee on Social Programs report commitments made in response to the March 2014 Auditor General’s report and longer term actions designed to bring about fundamental change in how we support families. We had committed to finalizing an action plan in June, and we are reviewing the recommendations in this Standing Committee on Government Operations’ report and we want to ensure that all...

Mr. Speaker, the Department of Health and Social Services and Yellowknife Health and Social Services aren’t in this alone. We do have a relationship with the City of Yellowknife who has, to date, contributed $50,000 per fiscal year. On top of that $50,000, the health and social services system here in the Northwest Territories contributes an additional $250,000, $175,000 from the mental health and addictions budget and $75,000 from the anti-poverty budget. So, combined with the city, there’s a $300,000 budget to operate this facility. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

It depends on the timing. If the family has made a choice to put their children with grandparents or another family member and the system is unaware and hasn’t been involved, we don’t have the ability to engage. If the family had indicated that they’re having problems and they’re struggling and they weren’t meeting the needs and they engage the system through a voluntary mechanism and then through a plan of care it was decided that the children would benefit from spending time with the grandparents while the parents work on their challenges, in that scenario we would be able to provide support...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Health and Social Services does become involved with children at risk when they enter the system and access the Child and Family Services Act. When that occurs, whether it’s voluntary or through identification, we do try to keep children with families as much as possible. When a child needs to be placed, we obviously like to approach families to see if they’d be willing to foster. If they’re willing to foster, we’ll put them through the process. If that happens, they will receive remuneration that is consistent with all other foster families. Thank you...

What I’m referring to is the overarching policy with respect to medical travel and how it operates and functions. It will be available to the authorities, it will be available to all individuals. We will make sure that people understand the Medical Travel Policy. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I apologize for the confusion. Several months ago, I briefed committee and provided them with some information on the review of the Medical Travel Policy. We had hoped to actually have what would be the base policy, the Cabinet policy ready for some discussion in March. Unfortunately, I had an opportunity to be briefed on that and I didn’t feel it was consistent with the types of questions and concerns the Members had been raising, so I asked the department to do a little bit of work. As a result, we are delayed on that. I hope to have that base Cabinet policy around...

There are a number of services, and I hear the Member, we may have a communication gap in getting this information to the right people at the right time. I know our professionals certainly share the information when they come in contact, but if they don’t come in contact, the Member is right, the individuals who may need the information may not have it. I will have a conversation with the deputy of Health and Social Services to find out and get more concrete information around the types of communication we are using to help get the right information to the right people at the right time. I...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is no cure for FASD that I am aware of. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I’m certainly going to have to follow up with the department to ask some additional questions and get some more information for the Member. The BiliBlankets offer the possibility to treat some degrees of jaundice at home for otherwise healthy babies. I acknowledge that there are some advantages here, but there are other methods of treatment as well.

In the Northwest Territories, unlike the rest of the country where the statistical prevalence of this particular condition is about 50 percent in babies, in the Northwest Territories, fortunately our statistics are significantly lower...