MEDIA RELEASE Issued Wednesday, April 8, 2020 NORTHERN HEALTH CENTRES IN NEED OF PPE (PRINCE ALBERT) Leaders of the Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority (NITHA) are deeply concerned that there are limited to no protective supplies for health care workers in northern Saskatchewan and that there is no timeline for the arrival of the orders. NITHA Board Chair Chief Carolyn Bernard said she recognizes that there is a critical, global shortage of personal protective equipment and challenges in the supply chain during the COVID-19 Pandemic. However, she is specifically concerned that the province has not consulted First Nations on their need for PPE in northern Saskatchewan, after Ottawa had committed $50-million to the provinces and territories in its $1-billion COVID19 response package. “We are aware of the extreme pressures facing our governments in meeting the PPE demand across the country; however, we need assurance that our numbers will be included when orders are submitted,” said Chief Bernard. “The impact of this disease would be devastating, and we are asking for clear communication from the provincial and federal governments that our populations in our member communities will not be left out of the process when it comes to the amount of PPE needed in northern Saskatchewan.” Of the 33 communities and 55,000 members that NITHA serves, Executive Director Tara Campbell indicated that NITHA has received a partial fill of one of the orders placed in February, but need more information on when, what, or if more are expected to arrive. “At the present time, our numbers of COVID-19 may be low, but I am concerned we will not have any way of keeping them low should there be an outbreak in any of our communities,” said Campbell. “Based on our last assessment of inventory, 40% of our health sites do not have the necessary PPE to support an outbreak. We have 500 staff working at health facilities throughout our communities, and, of the inventory set aside for public health emergencies, much of the PPE has expired. What this means is that even though we may have received desperately needed swab kits, the nursing staff can’t use them without the proper medical equipment, such as masks, which are, in many cases expired.” Requests were made to Indigenous Services Canada and the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health based on a per capita request. It included a 72-hour surge request for 41,000 masks (procedure and N95) and face shields, 1,300 boxes of nitrile gloves, 8,000 surgical gowns, 30,000 hand sanitizers, and 5,000 swab kits. It also included an 8-week surge request for 765,000 masks (procedure and N95) and face shields, 24,000 boxes of nitrile gloves, 149,000 surgical gowns, 60,000 hand sanitizers, and 93,000 swab kits. The Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority covers the following health centres: • Annie Bagg Memorial Nursing Station (Birch Narrows) • Buffalo River Health Center • Senator Jonas Lariviere (Canoe Lake) • Clearwater River Dene Nation Health Center • Great River Nursing Station (English River) • Flying Dust First Nation Health Center • Island Lake First Nation Health Clinic • Sahgaiehcan Family Health Center (Makwa Sahgaiehcan) • Waterhen Lake First Nation Health Centre • John G. Ross Health Centre (Hall Lake) • Kokum’s Clinic (Grandmother’s Bay) • Jeanne Bird Clinic (La Ronge) • Little Red River Health Clinic • Stanley Mission Health Center • Sucker River Clinic • Angelique Canada Health Centre (Pelican Narrows) • Arthur Morin Memorial Centre (Southend) • Jonas Sewap Memorial Health Centre (Deschambault Lake) • Black Lake Community Health Centre • Victoria Laliberte Memorial Health Center (Cumberland House) • Fond Du Lac Community Health Center • Hatchet Lake Health Centre • James Smith Health Centre • William Charles Health Center (Montreal Lake) • Red Earth Health Centre • Shoal Lake Health Centre • Sturgeon Lake Health Centre • Wahpeton Health Centre ABOUT NITHA Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority (NITHA) is the only First Nations organization of its kind in the country. It is comprised of the Prince Albert Grand Council, Meadow Lake Tribal Council, Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, and Lac La Ronge Indian Band and each has extensive experience in health service delivery. The Partners formally joined together in 1998 to deliver a source of collective expertise in culturally based, professional practices for health services in northern Saskatchewan. -30Media enquiries may be directed to: Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority Heather Bighead Executive Assistant to the Executive Director Direct Line: (306) 953-5002 Cellular: (306) 980-8407 hbighead@nitha.com