A liaison worker will be able to provide better support to Thunderchild First Nation members, thanks to a new partnership between Prairie North Health Region and Thunderchild First Nation.
The liaison will now have an enhanced role and increased responsibilities, as well as a clearer and more consistent scope of practice, allowing the worker to be a more effective part of the care team.
"The liaison will be able to help us further the discharge planning protocols between Thunderchild and the health region," says Linda Okanee, director of health for Thunderchild First Nation. "We look forward to working more closely with our region partners."
Communication experts who serve as a point of contact to share information between individuals and groups, liaison workers bridge gaps between cultures and create a common understanding that leads to seamless quality health care for First Nation clients and their families and caregivers, according to a PNHR press release. Sharing information often requires clarification and translation of meanings.
"Strengthening the liaison worker program is one of the keys to improving the patient experience of First Nations people in our health region," says Glennys Uzelman, vice-president of PNHR Primary Health Services.
"The idea stemmed from the provincial Patient First Review's recommendation that the health region should work with First Nations and Métis elders, as well as patient and family advisors, to develop a culturally safe and competent health system that better serves First Nation and Métis citizens."
The partnership agreement, signed Nov. 18, is based on equal cost sharing and formal shared supervision and collaboration, with final administrative accountability remaining with the First Nation. The
Thunderchild First Nation liaison worker will work out of offices in Turtleford and Thunderchild.
