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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to report to this House and residents of the NWT on the progress we are making to transform the child and family services system to better serve children, youth, families, and communities. We want to create a system that provides services that are culturally safe and anti-racist.
Minister of Health and Social Services Julie Green, has announced this year’s recipients of the Healthy Choices Fund. A total of 22 eligible organizations will receive funding to help maximize the impact of their health promotion work, and prevention activities that support individuals, families, and communities in making positive lifestyle choices.
Some of this year’s successful proposals include:
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by again expressing my gratitude to all health and social services workers in the Northwest Territories. These dedicated professionals have been serving the needs of residents through some very difficult times. I want to assure staff, as well as my colleagues here today, and residents of the Northwest Territories, that the Department of Health and Social Services is working hard to find solutions that will ease the pressure on the system.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about a heavy subject impacting many Northern residents and I acknowledge that my statement may be triggering for some people as it includes subject matter around suicide and mental health in the NWT. I encourage anyone who may find these subject matters to be triggering to take the necessary steps for your emotional safety, which may include stepping out of the House or muting my statement until I finish.
On March 28th, 2022, the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) released the first free mental health and wellness resource box to NWT Youth and organizations who work with youth as a part of the My Voice, My Choice Campaign for Youth Wellness. Since then, three additional, themed boxes have been released. The boxes include a variety of health and mental wellness resources as well as individual and group activities like colouring sheets, carving kits, beading, and more from northern-based artists.
The Government of the Northwest Territories will conduct in-person engagement sessions to better understand the needs of residents as they get older, and to help identify and address gaps in services for seniors living in the NWT.
Engagement sessions will occur throughout October. For more information on location and dates, please visit:
The attached is being distributed on behalf of the Union of Northern Workers (UNW) and the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT).
On October 5th, the Government of Northwest Territories will release its fourth free mental health and wellness subscription box to NWT Youth. These boxes are being made available as part of the My Voice My Choice Campaign for Youth Wellness. The boxes include a variety of health and mental wellness resources, including topic-specific materials, as well as individual and group activities such as colouring sheets and activity kits by northern-based artists. The boxes are available directly to youth and to organizations who work with youth.
Minister of Health and Social Services, Julie Green, provided the following statement on the Northwest Territories Coroner Service 2021-2022 Early Release of Suicide Data.
“Yesterday, the Northwest Territories Coroner Service reported suicide data in the NWT. These statistics show an increase in suicide deaths in 2022 relative to 2021 and the previous ten years. The report also indicates a spike in suicides in the Beaufort Delta region this year.
The GNWT plans to test blood samples from NWT residents to look for antibodies that developed from natural infection and immunization to the virus that causes COVID-19.
The Chief Public Health Officer will work in partnership with the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority, Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority, and Tłı̨chǫ Community Services Agency, to collect discarded blood samples of NWT residents going back to April 1, 2022.
