Closing the Gap: Indigenous Health Innovations Forum

Closing the Gap: Indigenous Health Innovations Forum will be Wednesday May 25 2016 • Delta Regina • Regina, SK

In partnership with the Indigenous Peoples’ Health Research Centre, Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, and the First Nations University of Canada, The Conference Board of Canada is pleased to invite you to Closing the Gap: Indigenous Health Innovations Forum, which is taking place on May 25, 2016 at the Delta Hotel in Regina.

The Forum will explore key policies and activities that are improving the health and care experiences for Indigenous people in Saskatchewan, and will also serve as the qualitative first step in a Conference Board research study on this topic. Join us to network with provincial and national health leaders and practitioners, exchange best practices, and discuss successes and challenges in:

Community engagement to minimize health inequities
Innovative models for improved service delivery
Data on health status improvement
Program delivery in communities
Providing an indigenous lens to policy
Integrated health solutions

If you have any questions or would like help with registration, please contact Robyn Mia at mia@conferenceboard.ca or 613-526-3090 ext. 445.

Forum Overview

Over the past decade there have been many milestones that have contributed to better health outcomes for Saskatchewan’s Indigenous people. Unfortunately, key health status indicators remain below the rest of the province’s population. Discrepancies can be deep rooted in history while others are the result of public policy decisions. Politics, culture, geography, and jurisdictional factors all have contributed to the current state of health in Saskatchewan.

In partnership with the Indigenous Peoples’ Health Research Centre, Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, and the First Nations University of Canada, Closing the Gap: Indigenous Health Innovations Forum will explore key policies and activities to improve the health and care experiences for Indigenous people in Saskatchewan. The forum will explore health research outcomes, policies positively impacting population and community health, and community-led participatory health research and programs.

Forum Themes

Three concepts will guide the forum discussions:

Resilience—the power of people to engage, become engaged, and continually seek positive outcomes
Capacity building—the ability to design, develop and implement Indigenous specific health solutions
Community- / participatory-based—including Indigenous voices and ideas in research, creation, delivery, and responsibility for health outcomes

Saskatchewan Institute Research Plan

The forum will be the qualitative first step in a research study exploring community and participatory frameworks for advising health research investment, health infrastructure aimed at serving First Nations and Métis people, and best practice examples that demonstrate pathways to improvement.

Steering Committee

Our steering committee has provided coordination to this forum’s theme and agenda, and is made up of representatives from the Indigenous Peoples’ Health Research Centre, Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, and the First Nations University of Canada.