Rural Access to Care
My love of outdoor adventures has drawn me evermore into remote travel destinations. This has opened my eyes to how these communities receive care and the unique challenges and creative solutions available. Check out the links below for inspiring articles focusing on optimizing remote health care delivery and review my blog about the challenges of northern healthcare delivery
Understanding the complexities and impact of determinants of health on Indigenous cultures is vital when reflecting on health disparities. This article highlights socio-economic determinants of health: infrastructure, housing, education, and environment
Adelson, N. (2005). The Embodiment of Inequity: Health Disparities in Aboriginal Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health, 96(Suppl 2), S45-S61. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03403702
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Telehealth can be used to provide secure medical consultations and support digital imaging services in remote and Northern communities, Currently the costs of delivering health care in northern communities is disproportionately high due to medical travel and accommodation expenses. Telehealth is an underutilized solution to this problem as explored by Jong et. al (2018)
Jong, M., Mendez, I., Jong, R., (2018). Enhancing Access to Care in Northern Rural Communities via Telehealth. International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 77. https://doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2018.1554174
Providing access to Canada's North can often be compared with Scandinavian countries. Examining the unique distribution and geography of Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and the Yukon, Dr. Young and his team of researchers in 2019 conclude that patient health can be better managed by focusing on improving patient consultations in their regions, through interprofessional conversations and increased training for nursing staff and tele-remote physicians
Young, T.K., Tabish, T., Young, S.K., Healey, G. (2019). Patient Transportation in Canada's Northern Territories: Patterns, Costs, and Providers' Perspectives. Rural and Remote Health, 19(2). https://doi.org/10.22605/RRH5113
This beautiful article, "The Land is a Healer" by Redvers, J.M. (2020) discusses how Indigenous Norther Canadian populations are returning to traditional land-based practices to fill the gaps in their health care, and to strengthen their traditional ties with land and heritage
Redvers, J.M. (2020). The Land is a Healer: Perspectives on Land-based Healing from Indigenous Practitioners in Northern Canada. International Journal of Indigenous Health, 15(1): 90-107. https://doi.org/10.32799/ijih.v15i1.34046
Nutritional needs are a national need, but its accessibility and definitions vary regionally. Landrey-Cuerrier & Humphries (2021) explore the energy and protein stores of accessible food forms in Inuit communities in Nunavut, comparing the accessibility of food among all 24 populated regions of the territory, and reflected on the impact of hunting-gathering practices as a cultural connection with land and history, and a primary source of affordable protein.
Warltier, D., Landry-Cuerrier, M., Humphries, M.M. (2021). Valuation of Country Food in Nunavut Based on Energy and Protein Replacement. Journal of the Arctic Institute of North America, 74(3): 239-217. https://doi.org/10.14430/arctic73390
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