Our Health Counts

For the First Nations arm of the project, the community organizational partner OUR HEALTH COUNTS was De dwa da dehs ney>s Aboriginal Health Access Centre, which represented the interests of the First Nations community in Hamilton on behalf of the broader Hamilton Executive Directors Aboriginal Coalition. [...] Th ese fi ndings have resulted in the following policy recommendations in the areas of housing, services for low income and marginalized populations and addressing inequities in the social determinants of health: Housing: 1. Th at provincial governments that have responsibility for housing and supports (Ministry of Health and Long Term Care and the Ministry of Community and Social Services) engage [...] Th ese fi ndings have led to the following policy recommendation regarding chronic disease and disability: 4. Th at municipal and provincial governments commit to long term resources and 12 funding allocations and engages with urban Aboriginal communities and organizations for the purposes of establishing priorities, preventative action and promotion plans towards the reduction of the burden of ch [...] Fift y two percent of the First Nations population in Hamilton reported at least one visit to the emergency room over the past years for acute problems compared to % of the Hamilton and % of the Ontario population. [...] Th at municipal, provincial and federal governments collaborate with urban Aboriginal agencies and organizations and gain knowledge of the urban Aboriginal health determinants and health inequities and further acknowledge the urban Aboriginal communities right to self-determination in the control of planning, design, development and delivery of culturally specifi c health services, programs and po