Volume 18 | August 7, 2020
FNHMA Health Bulletin: Coronavirus (COVID-19)
This weekly health and wellness bulletin is intended to provide facts, resources for supports and outline potential actions to organizations, communities and their members. Each week the bulletin will include updated information surrounding the COVID-19 Pandemic.

In this bulletin you will find news and information regarding:

  • Kanesatake confirms its first 5 cases of COVID-19
  • Artist creates 'wash your hands' posters in 21 Indigenous languages
  • Indigenous Services Canada Releases List of Resources for COVID-19
  • Thompson Distillery Located On Kahnawake Mohawk Territory Offers ABDITO-Branded Hand Sanitizer
  • Use your COVID-19 awareness to help First Nations kids breathe easier, doctor urges
  • Eel River Bar First Nation warns community of potential COVID exposure
  • Thunderbird House gets needed upgrades as Indigenous cultural hub transformed into COVID-19 testing site
  • Total Number Of First Nations Confirmed Cases In Canada As Of August 6


See below for more information on these topics.
FNHMA Weekly Virtual Town Hall
Check the FNHMA Facebook Page every Tuesday and Thursday at 1pm to watch the re-runs of our Virtual Town Halls!

To view past Virtual Town Halls Click Here.

Next week join us for our ninth and tenth Town Hall.

These town halls originally aired on May 21, 2020 and May 28, 2020.

At these sessions Marion Crowe talked with Carol Couchie and Claire Dion Fletcher of the National Aboriginal Council of Midwives, Dr. Brenda Restoule, and Carol Hopkins about issues they may be facing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Marion Crowe also spoke with Dr. Valerie Gideon of Indigenous Services Canada and Terry goodtrack of AFOA Canada about updates from ISC and how to manage your buisness remotley and effectivley.
First Nations Webinars
A number of Partner and National Indigenous Organizations are and have been producing webinars in order to continue supporting First Nations in a changing landscape.

To view more please follow the links below and be directed to that organization's webinar page.

 Rapid Access to Addiction Medicine and Withdrawal Options
Please note that this webinar will be presented in English
August 11, 2020, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., EST – Register now
This webinar will explore the impact of COVID-19 on access to addiction medicine and withdrawal options. More details to be released soon.
National and First Nation COVID-19 News
Kanesatake Confirms Its First 5 Cases Of COVID-19
Six months into the coronavirus pandemic in Canada, Kanesatake's Emergency Response Unit (ERU) announced its first confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Mohawk community northwest of Montreal this week.

On Saturday, ERU spokesperson Robert Bonspiel announced over Facebook live that Quebec public health officials had informed the ERU that two residents tested positive. Three more cases have since been confirmed for a total of five active cases.

Artist Creates 'Wash Your Hands' Posters In 21 Indigenous Languages
When Colleen Gray saw that the United Nations had put out a call for artists to join the fight against COVID-19, her first thought was how to get the message out to Canada's Indigenous communities.

The artist — who's part French, part Irish and part Mi'kmaq — decided to take two of her pieces and, using translations she found on an Indigenous Services Canada website, add the recommendation to "wash your hands" in 21 Indigenous languages.

Indigenous Services Canada Releases List of Resources for COVID-19
Indigenous Services Canada has released a list of internal and external resources to help Indigenous and First Nations communities fight COVID-19.

The list has resources for helping to deal with substance abuse, mental health, and many other topics during COVID-19.

Thompson Distillery Located On Kahnawake Mohawk Territory Offers ABDITO-Branded Hand Sanitizer
Thompson Distillery is offering their own brand of hand sanitizer, ABDITO, that complies with all Health Canada and World Health Organization standards.

This brand of hand sanitizer is Indigenous owned and produiced. It is available to all Indigenous communities in bulk.


Use Your COVID-19 Awareness To Help First Nations Kids Breathe Easier, Doctor Urges
Dr. Tom Kovesi can skip a step these days when he wants to explain how stagnant indoor air is a problem for First Nations children.

"Before COVID, aerosols and droplets weren't common concepts, now they're ever more familiar," said Kovesi, the paediatric respirologist at CHEO and investigator at the CHEO Research Institute.

We're also thinking a lot more about how crowded spaces spread contagions, so we should be better able to understand how overcrowding in First Nations homes makes kids ill, he said.

Eel River Bar First Nation Warns Community Of Potential COVID Exposure
After a potential COVID-19 exposure in the community, the Eel River Bar First Nation posted an urgent notice on its website Thursday afternoon saying all band-operated buildings are closed until further notice.

"We will be monitoring the situation and providing updates as soon as they are made available to us," read the post signed by Chief Sacha LaBillois-Kennedy.
Communications officer Tyler Morrison said chief and council were notified Thursday afternoon of a community member who may have symptoms. 

Thunderbird House Gets Needed Upgrades As Indigenous Cultural Hub Transformed Into COVID-19 Testing Site
An Indigenous cultural hub that transformed into a COVID-19 test site in Winnipeg's core will emerge from the pandemic in better shape than when coronavirus arrived in Manitoba.

Thunderbird House has juggled financial, programming and infrastructure struggles over the years, but its location offered a way to ensure homeless people in the area had access to COVID-19 testing.

Regular ceremonial programming had already come to a halt or gone online by the time the Higgins Avenue and Main Street building re-opened as a test site in mid-May.

Total Number Of First Nations Confirmed Cases In Canada As Of August 6
As of July 29, 2020, Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) records indicate that there are 422 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on First Nations reserves, in five provinces. There are also 34 hospitalizations, 381 recovered cases, and 6 deaths.

For more information on these numbers and for more information on how to keep your family safe, please click here.

Click Here to see the full ISC Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Outbreak update page.
Accessing Additional Support Funds
COVID-19: First Nations Community Guide On Accessing Additional Supports
Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) is working closely with First Nations partners, the Public Health Agency of Canada, other departments such as Health Canada and Public Safety Canada as well as provincial and territorial counterparts to protect the health and safety of First Nations and support First Nations communities in responding to the public health crisis resulting from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Click Here to read the full First Nations community guide on accessing additional supports
Funding Available For Shelters On-Reserve
CMHC will provide funding of $31.7 million, delivered through its On-Reserve Shelter Enhancement Program (SEP), to build 10 shelters in First Nation communities on-reserve across the country. Forgivable loans for up to 100% of total eligible costs for the construction of new shelters.

Previous Health Bulletins
If you missed or would like to see any of our weekly health bulletins, we have included a link to all of our previous volumes.

Click Here to see all previous Health and Wellness Bulletins.

Click the button to sign up to receive regular FNHMA emails and updates!
Supports & Regularly Updated Resources
The following organizations have resources to combat COVID-19. These resources are regualrly updated and are available to view at any time.

Please click below to be directed to more information.
Please note that service hours for InfoPoint have been updated.

InfoPoint will now be available from 9am until 5pm EDT, Monday to Friday.


InfoPoint is your trusted resource to find credible and reliable information on COVID-19.
FNHMA Updates

Notice of External Job Opportunities

FNHMA has a number of external job opportunities that can be viewed at the link below! 


IMPORTANT NOTICE for FNHMA Working Hours

FNHMA working hours have changed for the summer season.

Effective immediatley, FNHMA staff will be working summer hours on Fridays.

FNHMA staff members will finish the work day at 12pm EDT, but will be available by email.
Important Notice for Intensive Course Schedule

For the safety of all participants and FNHMA staff all intensive courses are postponed until further notice.

Notice for Online Courses

Online courses will continue to be offered.

To register please contact Eva Keeshig at eva.keeshig@fnhma.ca
FNHMA staff are working from home and are available by email during this time.

For access to the staff directory visit https://fnhma.ca/contact-us/ or call
(613) 599-6070.

We are committed to providing the most up to date information and supporting our membership during this difficult time.

DID YOU KNOW?

FNHMA as well as Indigenous Health Today have a number of resources available online relating to COVID-19 awareness and prevention.

Click here to view the resource page on the FNHMA Website.

Click here to view the Inidgenous Health Today website.


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