Health Watch - February 2014

Nunavut to hold inquest into suicides

Padma Suramala, a registered nurse and Nunavut’s chief coroner, has called for an inquest into the overwhelmingly high rate of suicide in the territory, after 45 people took their own lives in 2013 — the highest number of annual suicides since the territory’s creation in 1999. Suramala announced the inquest at a news conference on Jan. 16 in Iqaluit. She plans to convene a jury of six people to examine two or three of the 2013 deaths, selected at random from the 45 suicides, the youngest being an 11-year-old boy in Repulse Bay and the oldest was 72.  “We would like to highlight the risk factors and the warning signs, raise public awareness and make recommendations on how to prevent these preventable deaths,” Suramala told CMAJ . The majority of those who killed themselves in the territory last year were young men between the ages of 15 and 25. Males accounted for 33 of the suicides. Given Nunavut’s small population of approximately 31 000, the deaths have a devastating impact on communities, from the family and friends of those who die to front-line workers.

The inquest into the death of Brian Sinclair, an Aboriginal man who waited 34 hours in the emergency room at Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre in September 2008, has now moved into the next phase, which is the broader subject of hospital overcrowding and delays. Sinclair, a double-amputee, had been viewed by staff as a homeless person seeking shelter and was left unattended despite his deteriorating health status. Sinclair’s family wants the inquest, led by Judge Tim Preston, to examine the racism that led to lack of care. However, Preston says his mandate does not include that aspect but instead is to look at the delays in the waiting room and what can be done to remedy the situation. The inquest is scheduled to resume sitting Feb. 18 for two weeks and then for another week in June before it wraps up. The inquest began in the summer and has sat periodically since then.

Métis Nation-Saskatachwan has launched a blue ribbon campaign aimed at training trainers to help prevent suicide amongst Metis youth. “This program has been created to support the unique needs of our Métis communities and expands the capacity that already exists,” said Sandra Youngchief, interim director of MN-S Health, in a news release. A training manual and tool kit has been developed as the vehicles for taking the program into communities and raising awareness around the issue of youth suicide. A blue ribbon will represent the campaign and be distributed to raise awareness of the program and its goals. Suicide rates have been identified as one of the top priorities in the Métis Health and Well Being Strategy.

The first service point for the homeless has been expanded to five downtown metro stations in Montreal for a three-year period. Positive results of Phase 1, which was launched in December 2012, led to the extension of this service. Expanding the service points for the homeless will bolster the support provided to people living on the street. “Homelessness among Inuit living in the city is one of the serious consequences of the housing crisis in Nunavik and one that calls for immediate special attention,” said Jobie Tukkiapik, Makivik’s president, in a news release. Makivik is one of the partners in this extension of services. “We plan to continue implementing the strategy aimed at preventing Inuit homelessness in Montreal.”

The recently released First Nations Cancer Control in Canada Baseline Report provides a baseline against which progress can be measured over the coming years. It also looks at the patient experience from screening and diagnosis through to survivorship or palliative care, as well as challenges experienced by First Nations patients through their cancer journey. “First Nations view health from a holistic perspective, so when we are presented with a problem, we look at it using many different lenses,” said Dr. Evan Adams, board member for the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, in a news release. In 2014, the partnership will release separate baseline reports for the Inuit and Métis baseline which will further examine emerging priorities for action among these communities. The majority of information within the series of baseline reports for First Nations, Inuit and Métis cancer control are sourced from environmental scans completed in 2012.

Compiled by Shari Narine