The First Nations and Inuit Health Branch Strategic Plan: A Shared Path to Improved Health - Summary

Our vision

Healthy First Nations and Inuit-individuals, families and communities

Our principles

• Wellness-promoting a holistic approach to health and safety
• Excellence-striving for quality, learning and innovation
• Reciprocity and trust-working with our partners in a circle of shared responsibility
• Fiscal Stewardship-practising sound fiscal management and accountability
• Flexibility-attending to the changing needs of individuals, families and communities; being responsive to differences
• Culture-recognizing the essential links between culture, health and well-being
• Communications and engagement-being open and transparent; and engaging First Nations and Inuit in the decision making process

Our organization

Our organization works with First Nations, Inuit, provincial and territorial partners to improve health outcomes, ensure quality health services and support greater control of the health system by First Nations and Inuit. We fund or deliver:

• Community-based health promotion and disease prevention programs
• Primary, home and community care services
• Programs to control communicable diseases and address environmental health issues
• Non-insured health benefits to supplement those provided by provinces, territories and private insurers

Our plan

Work with our partners toward four strategic goals

Goal 1 Quality Health Services

• We will search for ways to improve access to quality health programs and services.
• We will support access to a broad range of quality services and medically necessary health products and benefits.
• We will enhance regional capacity to enable regional staff to work closely with partners to provide quality care and effective service delivery.
• And, we support mental health and wellness programs that build upon previous and ongoing work with First Nations and Inuit communities.

Goal 2 Working together

• We will improve health outcomes by strengthening partnerships with First Nations, Inuit, provinces, territories and other government departments-finding new, better and culturally appropriate ways to collaborate, plan and work together.
• We will continue to support First Nations and Inuit in their aim to influence, manage and/or control health programs and services that affect them.

Goal 3 Improving performance

• We will work to support the availability of, and access to high quality data to promote better decision making, planning and health care delivery.
• We will manage an efficient cost-effective and evidence-based supplementary health benefits system that improves the health status of First Nations and Inuit in Canada.
• We will streamline and harmonize our grants and contribution and reporting protocols with those of other federal departments to reduce the paper burden on communities.
• We will work with our counterparts in other federal government departments and elsewhere to address the social determinants of health-such as clean water, adequate housing, education, food security, economic security and a vibrant culture-as part of our efforts to support healthier populations.

Goal 4 Supporting our employees

• We will support our employees' life-long learning, help them develop cultural competencies and streamline administrative processes to encourage innovation and improve performance.
• We will pay particular attention to the needs of Aboriginal employees and support their career and professional development.