Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay
Encyclopedia
The Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay (CBHSSJB) is responsible for delivering health and social services in the Cree
territory of Northern Quebec
, Canada
. The Cree are one of Canada's indigenous
First Nations
.
The CBHSSJB presently has a regional hospital centre and nine clinics spread over a geographic area similar in size to France
. The larger clinics have full-time doctors on staff and the smaller clinics have regular rotations of doctors.
The CBHSSJB has a Public Health Department with the mandate of preventing disease and protecting, measuring and promoting the health of the population. One of the most important challenges facing the Department is an epidemic
of obesity
and diabetes in the Cree population.
In the area of social services, the CBHSSJB operates a Social Services Centre, based in Chisasibi
, youth group homes in Chisasibi and Mistissini
and a regional youth rehabilitation centre in Mistissini.
between the Quebec Cree and the Government of Quebec
in 1975. Part of this land claim agreement deals with health. Under the agreement the Crees were entitled to the same health services as other Quebecers and Canadians, but they wanted to run their own health services in their own language and in a way which would incorporate traditional values and a Cree ethos.
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
territory of Northern Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The Cree are one of Canada's indigenous
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
.
The CBHSSJB presently has a regional hospital centre and nine clinics spread over a geographic area similar in size to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The larger clinics have full-time doctors on staff and the smaller clinics have regular rotations of doctors.
The CBHSSJB has a Public Health Department with the mandate of preventing disease and protecting, measuring and promoting the health of the population. One of the most important challenges facing the Department is an epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
of obesity
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
and diabetes in the Cree population.
In the area of social services, the CBHSSJB operates a Social Services Centre, based in Chisasibi
Chisasibi, Quebec
Chisasibi is a village on the eastern shore of James Bay, in the Eeyou Istchee territory in northern Quebec, Canada. It is situated on the south shore of La Grande River , less than from the river's mouth...
, youth group homes in Chisasibi and Mistissini
Mistissini, Quebec
Mistissini is a Cree town located in the south-east corner of the largest natural lake in Quebec, Lake Mistassini . The town is inside the boundaries of the Baie-James Municipality, and is the largest Cree community with a population of around 4000 people...
and a regional youth rehabilitation centre in Mistissini.
History
The Cree Health Board was created in 1978 in the wake of the signing of the James Bay and Northern Quebec AgreementJames Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement
The James Bay And Northern Quebec Agreement was an Aboriginal land claim settlement, approved in 1975 by the Cree and Inuit of northern Quebec, and later slightly modified in 1978 by the Northeastern Quebec Agreement, through which Quebec's Naskapi First Nations joined the treaty...
between the Quebec Cree and the Government of Quebec
Government of Quebec
The Government of Quebec refers to the provincial government of the province of Quebec. Its powers and structure are set out in the Constitution Act, 1867....
in 1975. Part of this land claim agreement deals with health. Under the agreement the Crees were entitled to the same health services as other Quebecers and Canadians, but they wanted to run their own health services in their own language and in a way which would incorporate traditional values and a Cree ethos.