Jason Unrau
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Apr 16/04) - Modify or reform. These are the options ahead for the structure of the regional health and social services board with the coming of self-government in the Delta.

"It remains to be seen," said regional health authority CEO Dr. Gerry Uswak of how a retooled board may look. "There will be shifts in administration, but by and large when self-government comes in most people won't recognize the difference."

The current Inuvik Regional Health and Social Services Board (IRHSSB) determines how the region's $45 million health care budget is spent each year.

Uswak says that changes have already been made in how the hospital deals with its patients.

"We want to move away from institutional health care and this means keeping clients in the home."

That means new services, such as the Elder Day Program, where four days a week Inuvik elders who live at home visit the hospital to take part in crafts and exercise.

"We want to find ways to engage the clients to lead a healthy lifestyle," said Uswak. "With more active participation from communities, we'd like to get to a point where we are promoting better lifestyles and preventing disease."

With a substantial chunk of its $45 million budget going to cover patient travel costs, preventative measures successfully implemented could save a lot of money in the long-term.

In the short-term, the plan, at least for Bob Simpson, Beaufort Delta Self-Government chief negotiator, is exploring the options.

Under the current structure, if the IRHSSB wishes to make a change to its regulations or policy, it first has to confer with the minister of Health and Social Services. With self-government, these changes could be made without any ministerial consultations.

At the self-government office on Mackenzie Road, Simpson says any modifications to or revamping of the health board will happen over time.

"As we move closer and closer (to a final model), changes will happen gradually," he said. "There's no panic to do this right away."

"Transition" phase

Simpson refers to this period as the "transition" phase and says that eventually parties will have to sit down with the GNWT "to work out a joint action plan."

"It may look like the Dogrib model," he said of the Tli Cho self-government's Community Services Board that is set up to oversee its regional health and social services programs. "Or it could be something entirely different."