Aboriginal Mental Healthcare in Canada: The role of alternative service delivery in transforming the provision of mental health services

Abstract

With growing complexity surrounding the issue of mental health, there is increased pressure for healthcare providers to engage in Alternative Service Delivery (ASD) and collaborative service delivery. Moreover, Aboriginal mental health has historically been an area of high concern and controversy, due to the high incidence of mental illness within this population. The unique social and cultural contexts that impact the type of healthcare services provided, and how these services are organized and delivered, require special consideration to be made when designing ASD models for Aboriginal mental healthcare. This paper seeks to identify current ASD initiatives being undertaken in Canada, while exploring the need for innovative and collaborative service delivery initiatives related to Aboriginal mental health, identifying current gaps and potential barriers to service delivery. Aboriginal MentalHealthcare in Canada: The role of alternative service delivery in transforming the provision of mental health services About the Authors: Danika Kowpak is a recent grad (2014) of the combined Master of Public Administration/Master of Library and Information Studies program at Dalhousie University. Danika currently works as a policy analyst at the provincial government level, and has experience working with the federal government. Danika has a

Perceptions on mobile health use for health education in an Indigenous population

“…Internationally and across Canada, numerous government programs are using mHealth services such as telehealth to assist in health care delivery in Indigenous communities 13 and to bridge the gap in primary care and health care access to secondary and tertiary care services. However, few initiatives exist on the use of mHealth for health information dissemination among Indigenous peoples of Canada.…”

“…Thus, the use of mHealth can contribute to the improvement of health outcomes 11 and may reduce health inequalities due to increased ownership of mobile phones across Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations. 12 Internationally and across Canada, numerous government programs are using mHealth services such as telehealth to assist in health care delivery in Indigenous communities 13 and to bridge the gap in primary care and health care access to secondary and tertiary care services. However, few initiatives exist on the use of mHealth for health information dissemination among Indigenous peoples of Canada.…”