Tom Beaulieu

The department has money earmarked into prevention. I could do a presentation, have the department do a presentation to committee in the area that the committee may want to look at moving.

We have met with the NWT Parks and Recreation Association, as an example, and had good discussions, and we support a lot of their initiatives. However, at this point, we have been concentrating on the fact that 40 percent of all our hospitalizations are due to chronic disease, and we’re trying to look at the prevention of the five main diseases that are causing 40 percent of our hospital admissions. So we’re...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I’m sorry; I was distracted and didn’t hear the question.

Mr. Speaker, normally we don’t have a system where we pay retroactively on medical travel and so on within our own system. Right within our system we don’t have that possibility. But I will look at having a system where if it’s medical travel, just like we do medical travel into Alberta, there would be medical travel from Fort Liard. As opposed to going to Simpson, they’re going down to Fort Nelson and it would be just like the regular medical travel system. I will look at that. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We do not have arrangements currently with BC Health.

Again, Mr. Speaker, I have no problem to discuss the issue of dogs, stray dogs in the communities that could potentially be a danger for seniors with some mobility issues with the Minister of MACA. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Department of Health and Social Services and also in my responsibilities for seniors, we are working on a plan for a continuum of care for seniors. One of the main objectives of that work is going to keep seniors in their home communities, in their own homes, as long as possible. That may require some technical work on the units such as ramps and other barrier-free provisions within the unit. Thank you.

Thank you. I can discuss that with the regular committees, committees of MLAs, to see if a charter would be something that would enhance support for seniors. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, as the Members know, the responsibility for the Minister under seniors comes with actually no budgets. However, we do draw from interdepartmental pool where Health and Social Services provides some funding, some coordinator, some support to the seniors and the Seniors’ Society, and then the funding comes from the various departments to the NWT Seniors’ Society as an example. Thank you.

I will commit to having our department, Health and Social Services, the executive office, start those discussions and we will make contact with BC Health in Nelson and also discuss that with the leadership in Fort Liard. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, yes, I am prepared to have the Department of Health and Social Services have discussions between the leadership in Fort Liard, Deh Cho Health and Social Services, to discuss the feasibility of using the health system out of Fort Nelson, British Columbia. We will use our agreements with Alberta as a guide to hold those discussions. Thank you.