Summary
Despite progress in cancer prevention, the number of Canadians affected by cancer continues to rise¹. While cancer affects everyone, its distribution, impact and outcomes are not shared equally. In fact, studies have identified that First Nations, Inuit and Metis people are impacted by higher rates of cancer incidence across Canada in comparison to general Canadian population2,3,4.
Cancer continues to be a significant burden in First Nations communities in Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority (NITHA), but despite a growing burden, there remain challenges accessing culturally appropriate and quality cancer care5. This project aimed to understand, from a community perspective, the unique cancer care needs of First Nations cancer patients, families, and the entire community that could help to overcome the barriers and reduce cancer impact over time. This report presents a call for an inclusive, community driven, sustainable, culturally safe, and holistic cancer care for northern Saskatchewan First Nations on-reserve communities.
This baseline work was guided by OCAP (Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession) principles and motivated by the Nationwide Cancer Control Strategy, and aligned with the strategic priorities of Saskatchewan Cancer Agency (SCA) for cancer care. Building trust and respect, and being mindful of Indigenous people’s traditions, history and diversity were our values. We anticipated to build meaningful relationships with all NITHA First Nations communities and its secondary partners to provide leadership in cancer awareness, health promotion, early detection and community directed cancer control activities.
This report also provides extensive roadmap to the next phase of this initiative. We anticipate these findings might be helpful to co-create future cancer control strategies and programs that can help building sustainable cancer control initiatives in NITHA communities and capacity within the health system.
