Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay
From Wikipedia, the free 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.
[edit] History
The Cree Health Board was created in 1978 in the wake of the signing of the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement 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.
