In nursing they teach you of the 12 determinants of health. This list includes things such as physical environment, and personal health practices that are pertinent to the health of all individuals. When I think about the very basic requirements for life I think of food, shelter, and WATER. That being said, it came as a shock to me to learn the amount of First Nations communities that have been living for years under water advisories across our country.
One in particular, which was featured on CBC, is that of the Neskantaga First Nation located in Ontario. This community is comprised of approximately 350 people, and they have had an ongoing water advisory in place for 20 years; that’s almost as long as I have been alive. There are people in this community that cannot remember a time when they did not have to boil their water for use. Some of the community members have resorted to doing such things as cleaning their children with disposable baby wipes trying to prevent their children from becoming sick. However, people cannot survive without water, and the people even have to boil the water from the clarification systems set up in the community. This is a serious issue, which upon doing research, faces many First Nations communities across Canada yearly.
Chief Wayne Moonias has brought it upon himself to call upon the next prime minister of Canada to solve this issue.
Do people in Neskantaga not deserve basic human rights? Of course they do. This is a situation in which this community needs our help and support. They need people to rally together and ensure that they are granted their rights which have been denied for far too long. A boil advisory here in Cape Breton is seen to in a few days maximum. Why is that? Well, we have the resources to ensure that problems such as these are fixed. That being said, because many remote communities do not have direct access to services to repair this problem and haven’t for 20 years does not mean that it isn’t something that needs fixing. I just hope that the needs of these individuals are handled in a timely manner with the coming of the new government so that they can live life to their fullest potential, and have optimal health and well-being.
As nursing students we are taught that we must be advocates for our patients, and we need to stand up for those people who need our help to make sure they are receiving the best care possible. Which is why we need to stand up, advocate, and ensure change happens. Especially in situations such as this one. To make sure that the First Nations people in communities such as this, and across our country which are facing hardship are able to reach an optimal level of health and well-being.
“Neskantaga First Nation demands action on 20-year boil-water advisory“, CBC News: http://www.cbc.ca/news/aboriginal/neskantaga-first-nation-demands-action-on-20-year-boil-water-advisory-1.3256929
Two-Eyed Seeing for Health 