Weeneebayko health region

Today was my first day interning at the hospital. It was interesting talking to my supervisor Beth about the hospital and health region structure.

The Weeneebayko general hospital in Moose Factory (Pop. ~2500) is the main hospital in the health region, though there are smaller "hospitals" in Moosonee (~3000), Attawpiskat (~2000), and Fort Albany(~1000), however these are staffed permanently only by nurses and have only a handful of beds. Other communities in the area include Kashechewan (~1500), and Peawanuck (~300) a 3+ hour flight NorthWest from Moosonee.

The remoteness of some communities make healthcare challenging. Physician and other healthcare team members do make the trip up the coast for appointments when they can, while tele health is also used to cut down on travel needs.

The community of Attawpiskat is especially underserved compared to the others in the region. Health services are stretched thin with the current housing crisis and other social issues, such as addiction, in the community.

It was interesting to hear that the community of Peawanuck actually has much better health outcomes, including lower rates of diabetes, than other communties in the region. No studies have been done to figure out why health indicators are better in Peawanuck, but Beth mentioned that it is a model community for the region. Peawanuck is the most remote community, and the people of Paewanuck lead a more traditional lifestyle in terms of diet and economy. They have also had less contact historically with European settlers and later with the Canadian government.

JK