Social Investment

Message from Director:

Kiʔsuʔk Kyukyit,

It is with great pleasure that I present the following report, relating to the activities of the Social Investment Sector at the Ktunaxa Nation Council over the past 12 months.

As we are all aware, the global Covid-19 pandemic fundamentally altered the ways in which we go about our day-to-day tasks. In the Social Investment Sector, this challenge was significant as we continued to try and meet the needs of our citizens, and especially our most vulnerable, in an environment which limited the movement of people and the level of access to resources.

I am grateful for the tremendous efforts of all of our staff as we navigated this difficult environment and did our upmost to maintain services. I believe it is also important to note that we were not immune to the impacts of Covid-19 on both people’s physical, but also their mental health as well. As such, the primary activities for the past year have been as follows:

1. Continuity of service – Scotties Recovery House, Street Angel, KNC Health Clinic
2. Covid 19 Pandemic Response – Community and KNC Vaccine Clinics
3. Strategic Growth – Mary Basil Detox, Primary Care Network

The following highlights details on each of these areas, the successes achieved and the areas for improvement.

With gratitude,

Justin Paterson

Interim Director (Senior Manager) from June, 2000 to August, 2021

Continuity of Service

While the focus for much of the year was on responding to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is also important to acknowledge the continued impact of the ongoing opioid overdose crisis, as well as the variety of mental health needs for citizens and other indigenous clients residing within ʔamakʔis Ktunaxa.

Scotties Recovery House

Over the past year we had a total of 34 residents come through the recovery program including eight Ktunaxa individuals. A number of Ktunaxa individuals were supported outside of the program to access detox and treatment programs as well. Of the 26 non-Nation members served, some were married into the Nation or had children who are from the Nation and others were from other Indigenous communities, Metis, and non-Aboriginal.

Community Wellness Champions

During the pandemic we saw a significant increase in overdoses and mental health needs. The Wellness Champions worked to support people in accessing medications/appointments, ensuring they had training and access to naloxone kits, supported with food security, wellness check-ins and linked individuals to appropriate outreach/mental health or housing supports. throughout the pandemic. Each month, upwards of 30 Nation members across each band were supported in various capacities.

Street Angel

Over the past year Street Angel collaborated with homeless outreach to ensure meals were delivered to individuals with underlying health conditions, Urban Aboriginal and Metis populations, as well as those who were homeless or in poverty. During the lockdown, services at Street Angel were available through sign-up and/or outreach. Now, with doors open Street Angel supports between 25-40 people per day with approximately 25 individuals who are Ktunaxa, of other Indigenous background, or Metis.

KNC Health Clinic

This year the KNC health clinic was very busy with the nurse practitioners having over 3,600 appointments. The clinic priority continues to be any-one who identifies as Indigenous as well as mental health and substance use, OAT, addictions, women at risk, and other vulnerable populations.

A highlight this year was launching our sexual health services, run by registered nurses. This program now offers free contraception dispensed on site as well as STI testing/ treatment and cervical cancer screening. Along with these services, the KNC Community Health Nurses continue to provide public health nursing services at the clinic and in community. This includes all routine vaccines and yearly flu vaccine, prenatal and postnatal care, child health clinics, school health, tuberculosis (TB) screening and communicable disease control.

Covid 19 Pandemic Response

While the pandemic itself was not a positive experience by any means, it did provide for an opportunity to rebalance the division of resources between the KNC and the Bands, especially when it came to the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine. Each of the Bands were proactive and leaders in advocating for both the required doses, and necessary resources, to provide vaccinations to community members, with the KNC reverting to more of a supportive role. This experience has shown a new, and better, way of providing services, in which we see the Bands leading and the KNC supporting as necessary.

Community and KNC Vaccine Clinics

As noted, each of the Bands coordinated vaccine clinics for citizens, staff, and in some cases, other members of the general public. The KNC also hosted a clinic for citizens, expanded family members, KNC and Band staff.

Through these collaborative efforts over 1,127 doses were administered to those individuals aged 12 and up. This was completed by nurses from Tobacco Plains Indian Band, ʔakisq̓nuk First Nation and Ktunaxa Nation Council.

In ʔakisq̓nuk First Nation, 138 doses were administered,

in ʔaq̓am – St. Mary’s, 437 doses,

in Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡiʾit – Tobacco Plains, 218 doses,

and at Ktunaxa Nation Council clinics, 334 doses.

Many community members and staff also utilized Interior health’s Covid vaccine clinics so we can expect the amount of doses given to be slightly higher. Staff also supported the cross-border clinic organized by Lower Kootenay Band, in partnership with the Kootenay Tribe of Idaho.

Strategic Growth

Despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, Social Sector staff continued to be involved in the strategic change necessary for the sector to ensure that it is properly serving the needs of Ktunaxa citizens. The message from Nation leadership has been clear, in that services that do not align with the vision of Qapi qapsin kin ’itkin hin ’isti Ktunaxa [“Everything you do, you do for Ktunaxa”] should not be a part of the long term focus of the Social Investment Sector.

Mary Basil Detox

To that end, after a great deal of consideration and debate, the difficult decision was made to close the Mary Basil Detox Program, effective June 8, 2021. As we are all aware, the Nation is currently undergoing a considerable amount of growth and restructuring in order to ensure that services across the board are meeting the needs of Ktunaxa citizens, and thus a closure was determined as a necessary action in order to revisit our mental and addiction health services. We will continue to find ways to support Nation members wishing to detox, and look forward to incorporating additional supports further down the road, hopefully including housing, psychiatric care, and more.

Primary Care Network

The Primary Care Network is a collaborative care model supported by the Ministry of Health. The Ministry of Health is working with IHA and the Nation to integrate allied health care services with primary care providers to create a wrap-around approach to health care that addresses the Social Determinants of Health and broader health impacts.

The PCN includes allied health positions such as registered nurses, physiotherapists, respiratory therapists, dieticians, mental health clinicians, social workers, and Aboriginal health coordinators. The PCN is entering year two of PCN implementation.

The Ktunaxa Nation is leading as an example of true collaboration and tripartite relationship with the Ministry of Health and Interior Health.

Each tripartite partner is taking the lead on managing positions that are best situated with each respective partner. The Ktunaxa Nation Council employs social workers, Aboriginal health coordinators, and a few specific mental health clinicians with a trauma focus. Currently, the Nation has employed six Social Workers throughout the East Kootenay Health Region and one Aboriginal Health coordinator.

To date, the Social Workers have seen approximately 1,200 individual clients, and the Aboriginal Health coordinators have seen 25 since the position began in late April, 2021.

Without these services, these individuals may have likely fallen through the cracks.

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