Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, just, the program itself right now -- and I believe within the -- especially within the small communities, you know, we get federal funding, we use some internal funding, and that funding is done through intake through home support assess -- or home care assessments. The needs of the clients are assessed by the nurse, then those -- the hours are given to the home support workers as the needs, and not always can every small community has extended hours. At this time, the -- you know, within the -- within their job descriptions and within their work hours...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, when there is a -- you know, a situation arise in a small community or in a family or if people are living in a home that now they can't occupy or they have to leave in order to keep the kids, the goal of child and family services is to try to keep the family together and try to get them to a safe place as soon as possible, and they usually work within the family first. And so if they identify an area where there is a family that they can go and stay, then they will make arrangements and support them to try and get there. That work doesn't stop there. It...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am not sure of the actual protocol that they use, but I am aware that in communities where they are -- you know, where there is concerns, RCMP, if there is a need to go into the house, they -- and they know that there's children, they will contact child and family services. The other way around, if child and family services get a complaint and needs to go in to a family's home and they suspect that there could be, you know, drugs and crime going on, that they will contact RCMP as well to escort them. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, what I can do is I will bring that back to the department. I know that we are doing a feasibility study right now currently for MRI for Yellowknife, so I am sure we have some of that data. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would just like to say my department is already doing that. Within the Department of Health and Social Services, we do have the northern wellness agreement, and we do have the First Nation and Inuit home and community care that we do provide services for our residents. Within the northern wellness agreement, the department works directly with every single community leadership, Indigenous, because that money flows to the Indigenous governments, and the Indigenous governments are the ones that come up with their community plans. So they could use that funding for health...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as that -- the model of care is the health centre model; however, the home care program is currently an ongoing program that is in the small communities. It's in all of our communities. Within that program, the -- any community member can, you know, self referral or to have an assessment done for home care and home support services. As those home care and home services needs are, then the health authority then reviews the staffing that is needed for those areas. And so when it comes to after hours, if there's a -- you know, if there's a great need to be...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our community health workers that work in our smallest communities, they aren't medically trained; therefore, the digital stethoscopes and otoscopes were chosen because they are simple to use, and these tools are a standard for basic primary care assessment and so the nurse that they're -- that will be hearing and seeing from the other end virtually is what they would need to be able to -- like, you know, to be able to diagnose what's going on with the patient or to help better virtually diagnose. And as I said that they're also working with -- yes, so...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I know that within Indigenous governments and the GNWT over the years, you know, we work closely with the northern region district. However, the NIHB, like, program is housed for not just with us, with Nunavut as well, in Ottawa. And due to the fact that our two territories administer the program, they provide the Indigenous governments with navigators, like so there's NIHB navigator, I think at least within Inuvialuit, and then there's an NIHB navigator with Dene Nation. And that's what they've committed to be supporting residents in the Northwest...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would encourage the Member's communities to look at the mental wellness and recovery fund right now. That is open for applications to start April 1st, and it can be -- you know, the community can allocate up to $209,000 a year, and they can use that to develop or support aftercare program within their community. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the case management pilot that is proposed is -- what the goals of this would be to real time case management to ensure medical travel is necessary and that virtual options are considered, redirecting patients to in territory service when it's clinically appropriate, developing best practice at reduced travel costs, and help patients navigate the system, improving patient experience by reducing unnecessary travel, and when travel is needed it would also ensure appointments are scheduled in a way that supports patient and avoids preventable delays. Thank you...