Injuries escalate in First Nations

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A national conference focusing on injury prevention in First Nation and Inuit communities is being planned for Winnipeg from June 9 to 12.

Towards Community Action on Aboriginal Injuries is the theme of the conference, which will bring together health workers from across Canada.

The conference is co-ordinated by the National Indian and Inuit Community Health Representatives Organization (NIICHR), which represents 1,200 community health representatives (CHRs) working in First Nation and Inuit communities. Partnering with NIICHR are Health Canada and SMARTRISK, a national non-profit organization dedicated to preventing injuries and saving lives.

According to Judi Jacobs, who is organizing the conference on behalf of NIICHR, this gathering is something CHRs have been wanting to see happen for a long time.

"They've been asking for this, because the issues in their communities have been escalating. And they just need more information on programs that are working in other areas, and they're always looking for more prevention help," Jacobs said.

According to Health Canada statistics, Aboriginal people in Canada have one of the highest rates of injury in the world, and an injury mortality rate three times that of the general population.

Organizers are expecting people from all levels of health care will be attending the conference, from CHRs to nurses to health directors to representatives from national health organizations.

The topic of injury prevention is broad and covers both intentional and unintentional injuries, taking in everything from suicide prevention to childproofing your home to safety precautions you should take when going hunting to prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

The honorary chair of the conference is Tina Keeper, the actor best known for her role in North of 60 who helped create a theatre program on suicide intervention awareness aimed specifically at Aboriginal youth. That program toured First Nation communities in Manitoba in 2000, and led to the development of the research project Towards A Suicide Prevention Strategy for First Nations in Manitoba.

One of the speakers scheduled to take part in the conference is Dr. Rose-Alma McDonald, owner of the consulting firm Katenies Research and Management Services, who has worked as a consultant, social reformer, writer and researcher for the past 13 years.

Another confirmed speaker is Dennis Renville, director of the injury prevention program at the United Tribes Technical College in Bismark, North Dakota. Renville was also the first executive director of the Native American Injury Prevention Coalition.

Although the complete list of specific presenters and topics hasn't been finalized, Jacobs said the conference will look at four specific aspects of injury prevention-injury data and surveillance, research, capacity building, and communication.

"We're looking at presentations of recent data and surveillance in First Nations communities to highlight the ones that are most serious," she said. "Research in where prevention can be focused. The capacity building would be for training community workers in promotion, education and prevention measures in the community. And the communication is to share information, especially with the rural and isolated communities. Because there is a big difference between what happens in those communities and what happens to those that are closer to urban settings."

Jacobs hopes everyone participating in the conference will leave with information they can take back to their communities to help them decrease the number of injuries that occur.

For more information about National Aboriginal Injury Prevention Conference 2004: Towards Community Action on Aboriginal Injuries, visit the conference Web site at www.aip2004.ca.