Jason Unrau
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Apr 09/04) - Having a better understanding of what ailments afflict one is the first key to coping more effectively, say proponents of a new health initiative aimed at sufferers of chronic health conditions.

Called the Chronic Condition Self-Management Program, it's designed to help patients better understand, and in turn better manage their own afflictions, in order to improve overall quality of life.

"It's incredibly useful," said Sheila Mattson, co-ordinator for the Delta's program. "All (those who attended the first course in January) walked in very shy about their conditions, but left self-confident about what they could do for themselves. It's about the disease not running them, but them running the disease and in turn improving their overall health."

And the program's initial success following Inuvik's first course speaks volumes.

Of the 10 people who attended the six-week course, collective physician and emergency visits to the hospital by the group dropped off dramatically.

Fourteen doctor's appointments and six trips to the emergency room -- the total logged by the 10 attendees six weeks prior to taking the course -- were reduced to six and one respectively in the six weeks following completion of the CCSM program.

Though lessening the burden on an already taxed health care system is good news for budget makers and taxpayers, the best news is for the patients themselves.

Fewer visits to the hospital means less stress for patients, who already tend to feel a great deal of anxiety due to their own health issues, says Whitehorse CCSM co-ordinator Tory Russell, in town this week to make a presentation to Inuvik health care workers.

"The chronic condition is not going to go away, so it's important to help sufferers focus on having a reasonable quality of life," said Russell, who led Inuvik's first CCSM course at the beginning of the year.

Changing diet, controlling fatigue and finding ways to adapt pastimes -- often abandoned after the onset of a chronic condition -- are all part of the program's methodology.

Moving on

For Melissa Phillips, who suffers from depression, epilepsy and fibromyalgia (a debilitating form of arthritis affecting muscle tissue), the course was so effective that now she wants to get involved in spreading the word.

"Before I was back and forth from the hospital taking all types of medication," she said. "It totally changed my world around and afterwards you want to just jump in and help other people."

Phillips says that she plans to take the CCSM leadership course so that she can go to communities and help other chronic patients.

She will be one of seven CCSM leadership trainees from Inuvik and Aklavik.