Lesa Semmler

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as the cohort of numbers are very low and they're specific to each -- like, the communities are so small, I am -- at this point, I'm not aware of how many of the residents that the Member is talking about have completed testing. And if there were any, you know, those are health -- private health medical records, and so that -- you know, I wouldn't be able to discuss those here freely on the floor of the House. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, what will happen is the current staff will transition into the new building. There hasn't been any planning on new staff, but what I will say is that we are in the process -- in the early processes of looking at our health centres and the model of how we provide health services in our communities, in our small communities and so, you know, that's going to take some time and analysis to look through because, you know, what happens in some small communities is not the same in the other. Some communities are bigger. So at this point, no. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'm really glad that the Member has asked that because that has been asked in this House over and over and over again many times. The rates are to make things equitable in the territory. So the rates fall in line with all of our policies. Some of our policies that are federally funded, and we try to match what those rates are so that it's equitable across all residents with that. And, yes, times have changed, things cost more. That is in the review process. The one thing that I would like to highlight is if we -- you know, that's a decision that will have to be made...

Again, Mr. Speaker, that move was just recently done to remove the people that are actually doing the medical travel process from not having to now be the ones to appeal -- work with an appeal or an exception on their own work. So that part has moved into the department. The Member is asking what good is that. Well, every case is case by case and then it's looked at, so there's not, like, a tick list of everything because it's new within the department, so there's not -- there's not a case -- there's not a line by line item as to what it is. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Community Wellness and Recovery Fund, there has been $573,000 to the Deh Cho First Nation which include -- including in that is KFN. The amount -- yes, so split between those two. And then there's the Community Suicide Prevention Fund which there's another additional $185,206 to Chief Sunrise, K'atlodeeche First Nation, DFFN. So all together, those three groups and KFN received $185,000. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, we have credentialed staff within our authority running our authority. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the community counselling program provides mental health supports to all residents in the Northwest Territories, including children and youth. They also help facilitate referrals to more specialized service, including access to facility-based treatment. There's also, again, like I mentioned just previously, the Community Wellness and Addiction Recovery Fund that is something that the government does provide a fund so Indigenous groups can access to create their own community-based, on the land, cultural, Indigenous-based programming within their community...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned before that, you know, we are -- as this whole year I've been working with the governing council and working with the Members, hearing from the Members, hearing from the public. It's not that I -- you know, it's -- I don't sit here on having deaf ears. I know that there are real issues within our health care system. You know, there are real issues that people are sicker and that we need serious -- and so I hear the Members. And, yes, there are things that we are looking into. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. As Stanton is a territorial hospital, it doesn't fall within one of the regional wellness. So each of the regional wellness, so each of the regions have a COO, and then they have a council -- a regional wellness council that has a chair. And so what I have -- within Stanton, we did not have the chair of the governing council at this meeting. But we do plan to have the chairs of the regional wellness as long as -- as well as the COOs and the CEO and the deputy minister moving forward with all of the other regions because they do have chairs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I do and I will and I have had communicated this to NTHSSA and to the other health authorities, you know, and so that way that we do have a plan in place and that, you know, when people can't get their leave, as many members said, that it does impact them. So thank you.