Report on Aboriginal Maternal and Child Health

(From First Call:)
The Health Council of Canada has released a report based on consultations with health care workers about what programs and strategies are making a difference in the health of Aboriginal mothers and young children. Key messages from the report:
 
There is growing recognition that the living conditions and circumstances of people’s lives have a tremendous impact on health, and that these factors, called the determinants of health, are complex and intertwined. Nowhere is this link between life circumstances and health more vividly apparent than in First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities…
 
There are many programs and strategies that work to improve maternal and child health, but good programs often lack stable, multi-year funding, and/or don’t have enough funding to meet the needs of the population they serve. Funding applications and arrangements are also too complex, limiting the opportunities for success and causing staff burnout.
 
Read the report here.