Onion Lake. Photo courtesy onionlake.ca
Some new service agreements between Onion Lake Cree Nation and the Prairie North Health Region are aiming to ensure stronger health services in the community.
The two groups signed the service agreements late last week, which would see the services of three doctors and two nurse practitioners come to the community.
Lab and X-ray services are also a part of the agreement.
Vikki Smart, Vice-President for Primary Health Services with Prairie North says these services have been provided to Onion Lake for several years.
She says these agreements just formalize their partnership.
“We’ve been able to document how we are working together in a way that actually harmonizes the way they want to provide services with the way we want to work together.”
Smart says these documents solidify the strong relationship between the two groups.
“We have been working with them for quite some time and have been working quite well together,” says Smart. “We are really on the same page when it comes to good, healthy outcomes for folks in Onion Lake.”
The service agreements were signed at a ceremony in Onion Lake late last week.
The three physicians come from the Prairie North Primary Clinic in Lloydminster. They will take turns providing service to the community to ensure a doctor is on the reserve five days a week.