Surveillance and Management of Climate Change Impacts in the North: Implications for northern public health policy and infrastructure

Régions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region

étiquettes: health, health care evaluation, institutional development

chercheur principal: Gosselin, Pierre L (1)
Nᵒ de permis: 13917
Organisation: Public Health Research Unit, CHUQ-CHUL
Année(s) de permis: 2007 2005
Délivré: oct. 03, 2005
Équipe de projet: Don Wigle (Co-Principal investigator, Institute of Population Health, Ottawa), Chirstopher Furgal (Co-investigator, Nassivik), Isabelle Champagne-Shields (Nunavut Research Associate, University of Ottawa, student), Ludivine Chateau-Degat (Nunavik Researfch Associate, Unité de recherche en santé publique), Daniel Martin (Nunatsiavut(Labrador) Research Associate, Unité de recherche en santé publique), Sandra Owens (Coordinator, Unité de recherche en santé publique)

Description du projet: The proposed research approach is action research. The initial phase of this four year project will develop case studies describing the current state of environmental health surveillance and monitoring related to climate change health impacts in addition to their links to public health action for each of the four Inuit regions: Nunatsiavut, Nunavik, Nunavut, and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. This phase will subsequently facilitate capacity building in support of surveillance and management of climate change health impacts in the North. Such capacity building could include recommendations relating to technology, training, human resource planning, organizational partnerships, policy development as well as financial planning. The case study will be carried out by someone from the region (i.e., Inuvik) where many of the health and environment professionals and managers work with support from the scientific team in Quebec and Ontario. Interviews with professionals and managers who operate current surveillance and monitoring will be carried out to identify what information is collected, how it is stored and by who, how it is analyzed and what actions are taken as a result of this information. Available documentation will also inform the case study, which will detail the flow of information that may be pertinent to the identification of and response to health impacts related to climate change. The case study results will provide a baseline of information on which to move forward toward the planning and capacity building phase of the project (2006-2009). Case study results and recommendations will be shared with all informants as well as others whom informants recommend to be invited to share in this information. A two-day workshop will be planned in the region to discuss results, and to begin a strategic planning process to move forward. The case study report will be mailed to informants prior to the workshop and a decision will be made at the workshop as to subsequent distribution of the report. The study will be conducted primarily in Inuvik with the possibility of conducting some interviews in smaller communities from October 1 to December 31, 2005.