Updated on January 27, 2012
Understanding the Path Forward: First Nations/Aboriginal Mental Wellness
and Substance Use: Tri-partite Strategy Council on Mental Wellness and Substance Use
The Tripartite partners as represented by the interim First Nations Health Authority, the Provincial Government of BC and Health Canada are committed to working together and recognize the on-going work by First Nations/Aboriginal communities in mental wellness and substance use planning. A process of collecting wisdom, advice and guidance began through previous forums, meetings and regional caucus sessions hosted by the interim First Nations Health Authority(iFNHA) between 2007 – 2011. We would like to ask for your assistance further in providing focused input through our online questionnaire which will help us identify collective solutions by focusing our energies individually at communities and for service providers.All interested and willing persons wanting to provide input are welcome to participate.
Your input will help inform the development of a document that will summarize themed key concepts, strategies and solutions to improve First Nations/Aboriginal mental wellness and address substance use challenges in BC. The summary document will help shape the development of a draft First Nations/ Aboriginal Mental Wellness and Substance Use Plan. Your input is important to us. Building on a wealth of knowledge and expertise from individuals, communities and service providers, your help will assist the tripartite partners understand how to support initiatives over the coming years to ensure efforts around mental wellness and substance use are effective and successful. All submitted input will be anonymous and summarized for all of BC and by each Health Authority region.
Download Input Request Information Document | MWSU_Input_Request_Jan_27_final.pdf
To submit your survey via our online questionnaire, please visit: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MWSU
Deadline to receive completed surveys: Monday, February 27, 2012 (4:00 PM, PST)
Mental Wellness is the balance between the social, physical, spiritual and emotional life of a First Nation’s person.
Mental Wellness is far more than the absence of mental illness and has to do with all aspects of a person’s life. Many factors have contributed to high levels of substance misuse and suicide and to other mental health issues within the First Nations population; not surprisingly, these factors include, colonization and assimilation, systemic discrimination, loss of tradition, language and culture, residential schooling, and child apprehension.
While there are some mental health services and practical measures in place for First Nations, there still exists significant gaps in services and inequitable access for communities when it comes to mental health and substance misuse.
Based on community feedback*, these are the key issues and challenges that BC First Nations encounter with regard to Mental Health & Wellness in their communities:
- Suicide (youth suicide is of particular concern for First Nations communities);
- Drug & Alcohol misuse;
- Lack of cultural competency among service providers to address mental health and substance misuse issues;
- Lack of treatment facilities, and particularly a lack of treatment facilities that are inclusive of families;
- Provincial and federal policies and regulations that limit access/use of mental health and addiction programs and services;
- Lack of programs and services for pregnant woman with substance misuse issues;
- Access to culturally appropriate programs and services for First Nations that live in rural and remote communities;
- Lack of programs, services, and resources to address the impacts of relationship/family violence;
- Lack of youth, peer, and community support in times of crisis;
- Counselling and crisis intervention services that are inadequate and restrictive;
- Homelessness; and,
- Lack of human resources in FN communities for mental health and substance misuse issues .
Based on the information provided by First Nations, the following recommendations are deemed a priority for further work in the area of Mental Health and Wellness:
- Ensure that mental health and wellness is a core component of all First Nations community health plans, and that when plans are being drafted that they consider as priorities the issues put forward by communities;
- Programs and services must be put in place to address the many factors that contribute to mental health and substance misuse issues for First Nations. Services are required for grief/loss; re-trauma; inter-generational impacts of colonization and residential school; detoxification services; supportive recovery; re-entry; and life skill development;
- First Nations, and the Federal and Provincial governments must address jurisdictional issues and collaborate so that strategies can be developed in an inclusive manner;
- First Nations must have the capacity to address this issue in a manner that best suits their needs and cultural values and practices, therefore, capacity building should be a central goal to any strategy that is developed to address this issue;
- Cultural Competency training needs to be a requirement for all those that work in the area of mental health and substance misuse;
- There needs to be an integration of Modern/Traditional healing methods;
- A forum to share success stories and best/better practices is needed;
- Programs and services must be sustainable;
- Tele-health needs to be utilized more often to ensure appropriate services and treatment for transient patients;
- There must be accessible treatment facilities (D&A) and a reduction in wait times for First Nations needing access;
- Programs and services must recognize and celebrate all community and individual efforts toward recovery;
- Adequate, sustained and targeted funding for integrated and continuum of care services (sobering, detox, housing facilities and programs) is necessary;
- General service organizations should be required to show that they provide a culturally safe environment for Aboriginal people and that their staff is representative of the numbers of the peoples they serve;
- Program providers must offer solutions which do not require sobriety by merely providing a wet shelter or sobering centre for Aboriginal chronic alcoholics, they must go further and consider the full spectrum of needs of the individual and community;
- Those involved in addressing this issue need to adopt an Aboriginal Housing First Strategy; and
- Services provided to Aboriginal chronic alcoholics should include services for those with concurrent mental health issues.
*This information was obtained from a variety of sources, including the First Nations Health Blue Print for British Columbia 2005; Gathering Wisdom for a Shared Journey (2007, 2008 & 2009); First Nation Youth Wellness Gathering (2008); Health Director’s Forum (2008); Provincial Forum on First Nations Youth Suicide (2007); BC Regional National Native Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program (NNADAP) Needs Assessment; BC First Nations Health Regional Caucuses (2008 to 2010).
Specific Health Actions from the TCA: FNHP and TFNHP
TCA # 8 - To develop and implement a Mental Health and Addictions Plan
TCA # 9 – To host a forum to support and encourage cultural learning and to develop models of youth suicide prevention
TCA # 15 – To develop new culturally appropriate addiction beds for Aboriginal peoples