Study hopes to break down barriers and increase access to cancer care

A project aimed at helping First Nations people navigate the health care system in order to receive appropriate and timely treatment for cancer has received funding.

The collaborative venture with three leads is seeking to determine what the needs are in First Nations communities on reserve and in rural and remote locations in Alberta. Dr. Angeline Letendre, Alberta Health Services, Cancer Care and MÈtis PhD prepared nurse; Dr. Cora Voyageur, a First Nations sociologist at the University of Calgary; and Bonnie Healy, who runs the Alberta section of the First Nations Information Gathering Centre, also a nurse and member of the Blood Tribe, responded to a call for expressions of interest by Canadian Partners Against Cancer, a Canada-wide initiative encompassing nine provinces and territories.

The trio’s successful letter of interest earned them a $100,000 grant to prepare the proposal. Subsequently, they were awarded $800,000 for a two-and-a-half year project with multiple community partners from across the province, including Treaty 6, 7 and 8, Alberta Health Services, Aboriginal Health programs, the Aboriginal Nurses Association and the Aboriginal Physicians Association.

A December 2010 study showed that First Nations in Alberta experience cancer incidents at about 200 per year, although a prevalence report raises the number to 1,140.

“The story is similar across the nation for all First Nations, generally less participate in screening and usually in later stages of diagnosis,” said Amelia Crowshoe, communications assistant for the Alberta First Nations Information Governance Centre.
At the crux of the problem is that First Nations fall under three jurisdictions: federal, provincial and on-reserve.

“So it’s difficult to navigate through different systems of care and provide a continuance of care from diagnosis to recovery,” said Crowshoe.

The decreased access to health services results in increased death for First Nations people.

Adding to this complexity is that First Nations communities across Alberta have diversified systems. Crowshoe identified two critical aspects to tackle: the jurisdictional barriers and partnerships and awareness.

The project will also investigate cultural barriers that make it difficult to seek care.

“There is also a cultural factor,” said Crowshoe. “For people in our communities, cancer is a very private thing.”

The focus of the project is to identify barriers and determine how they can be mitigated, says Voyageur.

“We want to ensure that First Nations cancer patients have a smoother, more effective and efficient journey through the cancer pathways,” she said.

The project will look at having cancer navigators to help cancer patients navigate their way through the process, adds Voyageur. The information and findings will ultimately be given to political leadership to request changes to policy.

 “We want to make sure no one is left behind,” said Crowshoe whose organization manages information.

AFNIGC’s role is to ensure First Nations have ownership, control, access and possession of their personal information. The Chief-mandated organization protects the collective and personal privacy of First Nations people, ensuring that First Nations are in full control of their information collected through the Indian Registry System.

“Information collected through the Indian Registry System can be used to tell our data stories to change access to health care,” Crowshoe said.