PROVINCE HOSTS ABORIGINAL HEALTH HUMAN RESOURCES CONFERENCE

Saskatchewan is hosting a western conference of Aboriginal health human resources - the first of its kind in Canada - confirming our province's leadership role in training, retaining and recruiting Aboriginal health care professionals in Canada.

"We are committed to the full participation of Aboriginal people in the health sector in all health occupations, and this is a commitment we made in Saskatchewan's Workforce Action Plan, released in December 2005," Health Minister Len Taylor said. "Keeping and attracting key health providers is a top priority of this government, and we are very pleased to host this western health human resources conference."

Held May 30th and 31st, the conference will focus on four main areas of creating a representative workforce: dialogue for partnership and collaborations (engaging unions, employers and government); creating a supportive education system; preparing the workplace; and planning for transition and succession.

The conference is co-hosted by Saskatchewan Health and the Saskatchewan Association of Health Organizations (SAHO), and is funded by the Government of Canada and Saskatchewan First Nations and Métis Relations.

"This conference will offer a diverse setting in which we can review the good work that's already been done, and facilitate multi-sectoral collaboration as we move toward a higher participation of Aboriginal health-care providers," SAHO chair Alex Taylor said.

More than 150 participants from federal and provincial governments, national Aboriginal organizations, unions and health authorities are attending from the four western provinces, Yukon and the Northwest Territories.

The conference is a key component of Saskatchewan's Workforce Action Plan, which flows from the First Minister's Conference of 2004 when First Ministers from across Canada identified health human resource issues as a priority and agreed to create strategies to address training, recruitment and retention. It builds upon the Action Plan for Saskatchewan Health Care, released in 2001.

Note to Editors: Health Minister Len Taylor will speak on Tuesday, May 30th, 6:00 pm. at the Delta Hotel (Trentino Room), 1919 Saskatchewan Drive, Regina.

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For More Information, Contact:

Kimberly Kratzig Health Regina Phone: (306) 787-4083 Email: kkratzig@health.gov.sk.ca