Health Services
Health Services
The Wolastoqey Tribal Council Inc. Department of Health Services exists to support Wolastoqey communities in promoting health and wellness. We provide shared health services to communities and strive to be a resource through practice circles, education and training, and advocacy at the local, regional, and national levels.
Health Programs
Our health programs and services include:
- Indigenous Patient Advocate
- Non-Insured Health Benefits Navigation for New Brunswick
- Indigenous Diabetes Initiative
- Wolastoqey Accessibility and Disability
- Mental Health & Crisis Assessment
- Mental Wellness Projects
- Health Governance and Health Transformation
- Emergency Management
- Home and Community Care Coordinator (shared service with Mawiw Inc.)
The following employees comprise our health team:
Occupational Therapist
Julia Dickinson
Home and Community Care Coordinator
Elaina Bigras
Victim Services Navigator
Molly Burke
We strive to be responsive to community feedback. Established in 2022, the Wolastoqey Health Directors’ Circle provides a structure to promote communication, information-sharing and knowledge-sharing, collaboration, and decision-making to advance the health priorities of the Wolastoqey communities. We meet quarterly and as needed.
Health Initiatives
WTCI Health has led a number of projects:
- Wolankeyutikon, a Wolastoqey youth harm reduction project in 2024, 2025, and 2026.
- Sankewitahasuwakon, a Bell Let’s Talk Grant to support Wolastoqey Survivors of Indian Day School and their families in 2024, 2025, and 2026. Please note that this is different from the Sankewitahasuwakon Health and Wellness Transformation Collaborative in New Brunswick.
- Wolastoqey Men’s Health and Wellness Summit held in 2023.
- Three Sisters Garden project for the Indigenous Diabetes Initiative in 2022 and ongoing.
- Wolastoqey Women’s Health and Wellness Summit held in 2021.
Health Advocacy
WTCI Health has representatives on regional and national committees:
- APCFNC Health Partnerships Committee and Sub-Committees
- Sankewitahasuwakon, the New Brunswick First Nations Health and Wellness Transformation Collaborative
- Wabanaki Council on Disability
- Horizon Health’s Indigenous Liaison Committee
- Wolastoqewi Nation Mental Wellness Team
- Assembly of First Nations National Navigators’ Committee
- Assembly of First Nations Chiefs’ Committee on Health
- National First Nations Advisory Committee on Emergency Management
Health Strategic Vision
In 2022, WTCI engaged in a 5-year strategic planning process to set out a road map to guide our work. In this planning process, the Health team identified strengths, opportunities, aspirations and results along with strategic priorities and actions. The health team shared the following priorities:
- Creating a health strategy to establish a clear vision, objectives, and actions to guide WTCI’s work in health and wellness.
- Continue to strengthen health governance and pursue health transformation.
- Create an association for Wolastoqey traditional healers.
- Strengthen partnerships and collaborations that support Wolastoqey health and wellbeing.
- Dismantle anti-Indigenous racism in health systems.
- Increase advocacy around mental health and setting related targets.
- Advocate for improved processes within ISC-FNIHB.
- Increase autonomy and control over ISC-FNIHB funded programs.