Minister of Health and Social Services Julie Green issued the following statement:
“May 9-15, 2022, is National Nursing Week. This week NWT residents, along with Canadians from across the country, are encouraged to celebrate and show their appreciation for nurses. This year’s theme is “We Answer the Call.” If you know a nurse, you know this to be true.
The eighth annual Anti-Poverty Roundtable ended yesterday with a commitment by participants to increase safe and affordable housing, including for underhoused residents.
The purpose of this year’s roundtable was to bring together approximately 120 participants from all levels of government, non-government organizations, community service providers, and the private sector to work collectively on addressing housing and homelessness.
A strain of avian influenza that is highly contagious among birds is currently spreading from the United States into southern Canada.
Also known as ‘bird flu,’ avian influenza is a respiratory disease which naturally occurs in wild birds throughout the world. It is common for migratory waterfowl such as ducks, gulls, geese, and shorebirds to carry and spread these viruses.
Today is the first day of Mental Health Week - a yearly event celebrated across Canada.
From May 2nd to May 8th, the Canadian Mental Health Association is running a campaign to inform Canadians about how to support and empathize with those struggling with mental wellness.
Julie Green, Minister of Health and Social Services, is pleased to announce the 2022 recipients of the $1.75 million Anti-Poverty Fund. This year, 64 grants were awarded to community, Indigenous and non-profit organizations to help overcome and reduce poverty by addressing root causes. This is the largest number of projects the fund has supported in a single year to date
The first confirmed case of Influenza in the past two years was recently reported to the OCPHO. This case serves as a reminder, that despite the lifting of COVID-19 health restrictions, respiratory viruses will continue to pose a risk to residents’ health.
The Department of Health and Social Services is seeking feedback from Indigenous governments, organizations that work with children, youth and families at risk as well as the public on proposed key elements that will inform amendments to the Child and Family Services Act.
Effective today, the Government of the Northwest Territories’ Extended Health Benefits Policy has been amended to include an appeal process. An appeal process is critical to ensuring decisions are made fairly, and the Policy is applied consistently. Transparency plays an important role in being accountable to the public in the delivery of publicly-funded programs. This includes EHB applications.
As announced previously by Health and Social Services Minister Julie Green, the Public Health Emergency and associated public health orders will be lifted on Friday, April 1st at 12:00 a.m.
Throughout the pandemic, the Chief Public Health Officer (CPHO) has implemented legally binding measures to protect residents of the NWT from COVID-19 and to swiftly respond to the evolving needs of the health care system. On April 1st, these measures will shift to recommendations and residents will make choices based on their own risk assessment.
Check against delivery
Mr. Speaker, the Healthy Family Program is a voluntary, home-visiting and knowledge sharing program for pregnant parents, caregivers, and families with young children under six. Over the last five years, the Department of Health and Social Services has worked closely with communities to renew this valuable program. Elders and other community members have shared their vision for this renewed program, where children thrive, caregivers are supported, and communities care for families so that future generations are stronger and stronger.
