Improving population health, health promotion, disease prevention and health protection services and programs for aboriginal people

Some of these challenges and changes include: • the transfer of more responsibility for health services from the federal government to First Nations communities and provincial and territorial governments; • the growth of culture-based health prevention and promotion programs in Inuit, Métis and First Nations communities; • greater national attention to infectious and chronic diseases among Aborigi [...] The project and health assessment, in keeping with the true meaning and essence of health promotion, created opportunities and nurtured skills so that the grandmothers healed themselves, supported each other and experienced success in advocating improvement in their personal and collective lives. [...] Issues and Dilemmas All of these factors: the need to reclaim and redefine wellness, the many changes facing Aboriginal communities, the immediate importance of promotion and prevention programs, and the particular characteristics of Aboriginal populations pose particular challenges for Aboriginal and Aboriginal-serving organizations. [...] First Nations and many Inuit communities are in a time of rapid change in the authority and degree of responsibility for the delivery of health programs, including promotion and prevention programs. [...] Compared to services and programs for Inuit and First Nations populations, Métis health promotion, prevention and protection services and programs are in the beginning stages of development.