A health program offering one-on-one care for aboriginal women – on their reserves, is marking its one-year anniversary.
The relatively new Aboriginal Women’s Outreach Clinics program is offered at the Alexis and Paul First Nations in the Edmonton area.
A nurse practitioner comes to the on-reserve clinic to offer improved access to primary health care for women on the reserves.
It’s something that means a lot to Phyllis Mustus.
After having a liver transplant 10 years ago, Mustus needed routine blood work and says she had used to have to drive 45 minutes to get that done – but not anymore.
“I don’t have to travel to Edmonton to do all my follow-ups,” Mustus said.
“I just go to Pam.”
Every two weeks, nurse practitioner Pamela Fald comes out to the Alexis and Paul First Nations to offer health services for women.
Fald says more and more women on the reserves are turning to her for their health care needs.
“I feel like the amount of patients I’m seeing is increasing and the repeat patients I’m seeing for follow up is consistent,” she said.
Mustus says receiving health care from Fald is more convenient and comfortable.
“I feel more comfortable coming here, with my own people on my own reserve. It’s very convenient. She’s a very compassionate person. She works well with anybody,” Mustus said.
“Word is getting out so she’s getting more people every week.”
Services offered at the clinic include annual Pap screenings, diagnostic testing, screenings for sexually transmitted infections, health assessments, renewing or initiating new prescriptions, referrals for ultrasounds, X-rays, minor surgical procedures and birth control.
Prenatal care is also an important focus of the clinics.
“It’s really exciting, last year I may have seen one woman. Well now I'm seeing her children or grandmother or sister or mother,” Fald said.
“I think word is spreading and that’s evident by the fact that we have so many more patients coming in who are new to the clinic.”
She adds how rewarding it is to be able to provide aboriginal women with services they would normally need to travel a great distance to receive and believes the services are being well-received.
“I even get text messages and calls now, 'are you coming, when are you coming,'” Fald said.
“It takes time for that trust to build. The proof is that they come back and the proof is that they’re bringing their sisters and mothers."
While those at Alexis First Nation are celebrating the success of the program, they also want to see it expand.
“Two days a month is not enough,” said Alexis First Nation Chief Cameron Alexis.
“I believe we have to move, expand to at least once a week. Ideally I’d like to see two days a month over in our lands in Whitecourt as well.”
Alexis would also like to see the program expand to include services for men.
The full-day clinics alternate Wednesdays between the Alexis First Nation, located about 65 km northwest of Stony Plain, and the Paul First Nation, located about 25 km west of Stony Plain.
With files from Carmen Leibel
