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First Nations, Inuit and Aboriginal Health

Alberta First Nations TeleHealth Program

Program overview

The Alberta First Nations TeleHealth Program (AFNTP) was a Government-On-Line initiative aimed at redefining health care service delivery to First Nations communities in the Alberta Region. As a joint partnership between Alberta First Nations communities and Health Canada's First Nations and Inuit Health Branch Alberta Region, the project has focused on the development of five primary objectives:

  1. The development of a technical infrastructure in Alberta First Nations communities that can provide sufficient bandwidth to accommodate TeleHealth programs (videoconferencing or store and forward capabilities) and/or to provide high speed Internet to all health care workers in health care centres.
  2. The installation of videoconferencing equipment and appropriate peripherals to support TeleHealth programs, as well as the required training to ensure that health care workers are comfortable and will utilize the TeleHealth equipment.
  3. The implementation of TeleHealth programs in partnership with Alberta First Nations communities programs focused on First Nations needs such as the National Native Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program (NNADAP), TeleConsultation and TeleDiabetes Consultation (Nutrition and Foot Care). Also, focus on the development of Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) and Continuing Medical Education (CME) programs aimed at providing continuing education to remote health care workers.
  4. The deployment of a Health Portal that will provide access to e-mail, discussion groups, health content, news and the Virtual Health Library (an electronic document repository that will provide on-line access to thousands of health related documents).
  5. The AFNTP is also working very closely with the Alberta Wellnet Provincial TeleHealth network in order to leverage off of existing technical infrastructures and TeleHealth programs and better services integration.

For more information please contact the Alberta First Nations TeleHealth Program.


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Program facts

  • Deployed 24 TeleHealth sites across the Alberta Region (see map for TeleHealth sites by Treaty area).
  • Provided Internet Access to all Alberta First Nations communities through bi-directional satellite equipment.
  • 7 First Nations participating in NNADAP TeleConsultation pilot program.
  • 7 First Nations communities participating in Diabetes Foot Care TeleConsultation Pilot Program.
  • 7 First Nations communities participating in Diabetes Nutrition TeleConsultation Pilot Program.
  • Piloting a Dual Addictions Program in the Siksika First Nations community.
  • Deployed Wireless Local Area Network (LAN) solutions in Health Care Centres in all First Nations communities in the Alberta Region.

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TeleHealth Sites by Treaty Area

This is a map of Alberta showing the location of the existing telehealth sites in each of the three Treaty areas within the province. The Treaty 8 area, centred around Fort McMurray, comprises the northern 50% of the province and contains 14 telehealth sites. The Treaty 6 area, centred around Edmonton, is located south of Treaty 8, comprises about 25% of the province and contains 3 telehealth sites. The Treaty 7 area, centred around Calgary, comprises the southern 25% of the province and contains 6 telehealth sites. The names of the telehealth sites indicated on the map are listed underneath their respective Treaty areas in the text of this Web page. Treaty 8 Sites

  • Alberta First Nations TeleHealth Program (AFNTP) - Program Office, Edmonton)
  • Big Stone (Foot Care)
  • Boyer (Foot Care)
  • Edmonton (FNIHB - Administration)
  • Fox Lake (NNADAP)
  • Garden River (Foot Care)
  • Grouard (NNADAP)
  • Hay Lakes (Foot Care)
  • Jean D'Or (Nutrition)
  • Little Buffalo (Foot Care)
  • Meander River (Nutrition)
  • Swan River (Nutrition)
  • Tallcree (Nutrition)

Treaty 7 Sites

  • Peigan (Foot Care)
  • Siksika (Dual Diagnostics)
  • Standoff (Foot Care)
  • Stoney (Nutrition)
  • Tsuu T'ina (Nutrition)
  • Tsuu T'ina (FNIHB - Administration)

Treaty 6 Sites

  • Hobbema (NNADAP)
  • O'Chiese (Nutrition)
  • Sunchild (NNADAP)
Date Modified: 2010-09-08

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