Agreed.
Debates of Feb. 2nd, 2010
This is page numbers 3873 - 3910 of the Hansard for the 16th Assembly, 4th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was health.
Topics
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Some Hon. Members
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This is with regard to the line item, of course, aboriginal translation services. There was, it looks like, $5,000 allocated previously in 2008-09, nothing in 2009-10, nothing in 2010-11. Can the Minister explain why that is not there, especially given the length that this Legislative Assembly has been working with regard to aboriginal languages? Thank you.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Sandy Lee Range Lake
Mr. Chairman, I believe that this is more of an accounting issue. The $5,000 denotes a one-time payment through a contribution agreement to Tlicho Community Services Agency
for the Tlicho Healing Wind Sexual Health Terminology Project. The goal of the project was to reduce the incidents of STI in the region. It was a one-time program funding. It was marked in the books for 2006-09 and it would no longer continue, but it doesn’t speak to our programming in language services in the department. It will come later on, I believe. Thank you.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Kevin A. Menicoche Nahendeh
Mr. Chairman, if the Minister can point out what page number that is on, I will have a look at it then.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
The Chair David Krutko
You can get in trouble passing around notes in this House. Mr. Menicoche. Mr. Yakeleya. Grants and contributions, directorate, activity summary. We are moving on to page 8… Mr. Hawkins.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Under the primary care division, would this be the area that is under the program delivery that would cite areas for diabetes care and treatment? Thank you.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Some Hon. Members
Agreed.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
The Chair David Krutko
Program delivery support, activity summary, operation expenditure summary, $31.936 million. We are on page 8-17. Mr. Hawkins.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My same question stands. Is this the same area under primary care division or public health division where we get into the diabetic treatment? If so, what programs are being presently offered and what new programs are being contemplated in this budget cycle year? Thank you.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Meade
The role of the department is to set the long-term vision and the standards and the delivery of this is carried out by the authority. Under the Foundation for Change, we are looking at the key disease states, chronic disease states that can be best managed at a community level, can be best managed through self-care and can be handled within our acute system. Diabetes falls under that because we have a population need as well as how we can better deal with it. Health care is very integrated so while there is a role for the diabetes treatment standards and where the program will fit, there is also a role in the authorities around the management. This group works very closely with authorities but also in the setting of nursing
standards and guidelines. So diabetic care like other things would fall under that.
You talked about new. That will be in how we start to manage and set goals under chronic disease management. But, yes, in general, primary care, health care nursing standards and some of the key disease groups fits there.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre
Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the deputy minister reading out the flow chart, but what would be new in the sense of developments and new programming and treatment for diabetes for this year? Thank you.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Sandy Lee Range Lake
Mr. Chairman, that is part of the Foundation for Change Action Plan. We are looking to enhance our chronic disease management programming and that includes treatment of diabetes and prevention of diabetes. I don’t know if the Member is asking for a precise dollar amount, but this is something that is done in every authority. Our primary care nurses and health care workers are involved in that. Thank you.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre
It wasn’t meant as disrespect. Are we talking about running new programs for treatment for specifics of diabetes? At this time, as I understand, we are not sending people out or we are avoiding sending people out for treatment for those types of things who have received treatment. They are being told now that they will offer acute care. When I refer to acute in the sense is specific to their needs here whether it is a system with weight loss, the system with specific treatments, things of those types. It is my understanding there is no rollout right now. I am trying to get a sense exactly what new programs are envisioned that will treat these types of problems, if we are choosing to not provide these services at this time.
If I may further augment my point, we have people who have been denied services who go back as far as November in my particular concerned area, but, furthermore, I am sure that there are other community areas where people have sought diabetic treatment follow-up to care that they have been receiving in Edmonton. So now they are being told they will receive it here in Yellowknife. They are very concerned, and so am I, as to what care and services will be provided. I suspect at the rate we are moving, nothing, of course, will be approved until the new budget plan, which means April 1 at the earliest. What exactly will we be looking for, just so I can follow along? The Minister in her recent letter to me said there will be a follow-up as to what this exactly is. I thought maybe now is a good time as any to be able to help address the situation.
This affects young people and elderly people. I think it is an interest not just of mine but many other Members in this Assembly, because many of us have constituents who have diabetic problems. I
think today is probably a good time to sort of dive right into that type of detail to find out what we are, as far as the dollar amount goes, I don’t really care at this particular time. I want to know what programs are going to be offered to our constituents. Thank you.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Meade
Mr. Chairman, I think this is a good example of how medical testing, diagnosis and care evolve. It evolves very quickly, based on science. Many of the things we used to do in hospitals we now do as outpatient or in clinics or in a doctor’s office. With the treatment of diabetes, it has been quite evolving. A lot of it is moved to self-care and clinic-based issues. What was happening was some of the treatments were seen by specialists. For those we now have nurses currently being trained. In fact, the person that runs the dialysis unit connected to some of the diabetes out of Hay River has been in Stanton doing training. We are cross-fertilizing across this whole Territory with our specialists so that we can increase both nursing and other training. Stanton has currently got a review on the best way to deal with some of the diabetic support services, nutritional counselling, et cetera. So is it new programs or is it evolving programs as we are able to push some of this out to communities.
I am not aware specifically of stopping diabetic services in Edmonton, but there is more and more of an ability to have some of that done both with specialist support to telehealth, to our providers and to more of our providers to be trained to do this at home. It is also evolving. It’s an example of how the medical profession evolves in some areas to deal with this early testing, self-management and the use of technical and other innovative supports to manage this. I think it’s an example of where, whenever we can, we should provide services within the Territories. Thank you.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Robert Hawkins Yellowknife Centre
Thank you considerably for that excellent answer. That’s the type of information I was trying to get at: what do we provide for weight loss assistance or support for people with diabetes? Again, this is one of the areas a constituent of mine has been denied on the basis that it would be offered locally. I’d like to know what area that that would be new for this coming year. Thank you.
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Consideration in Committee of the Whole of Bills and Other Matters
Meade
First of all, weight management is part of diabetic response, but the weight management you’re probably referring to is the one connected to bariatric surgery, not necessarily diabetic. In fact, some diabetics have trouble with types of surgery. So I want to just separate what this is.
One of the ways that Alberta -- I’m familiar with this one -- managed some of their wait times to specialists around bariatric surgery and to also screen the appropriate clients was to introduce
some weight management. These programs, by the way, are not medical, are not insured benefits, and they were provided on contract through places like the YMCA. We’ve been sending people to the YMCA for some weight management programs that we think can be offered in different ways. They are not diabetic treatment. They are for those people that may or may not be appropriate for bariatric surgery. Certainly, with obesity it’s around a prevention to diabetes.
So some of these issues were that, again, in looking at how the approvals were made, clinical approval, specialists from the South approving, and this has been now looked at. So we know that other jurisdictions have been able to manage these both through on-line programs, programs that could be delivered. Again, the example of using telehealth in small communities, and we think in other ways. So that’s what we’re exploring. But the issue is not diabetic treatment, and it’s not just an insured service. So that’s what we’re looking at as to how that will be managed here. Thank you.