Best Place to Work: Battle River Treaty 6 Health Centre

Patricia Whitecalf-Ironstand, Executive Director of the health centre, said BRT6HC is focused on employee growth and community engagement.

“I started career here in 1993 as a registered nurse. I’ve worked in community health and home care up until March of 2014 before becoming Executive Director,” she said.

Through her tenure, Whitecalf-Ironstand said she was given a range of opportunities to expand her skill sets.

“In the many fields I’ve worked throughout the years, those experiences have helped me in this position that I’m in now. It’s been a great place to develop skills, and develop my personal and professional growth,” she said.

Connie Dillon works as a nurse and has been with the health centre nearly 17 years. She said she loves how family-oriented and flexible BRT6HC has been when she’s needed to attend to her family.

“When I moved here I had a nine-year old daughter, who is 25 now, and I raised a 15 year old during that time,” she said. “The hours are great. It works with raising a family.”

Dillon went on to say she appreciates how BRT6HC is a First Nations owned and operated health facility which focuses on the well-being of people close to her.

“I love working with my people, I’m First Nation too! I love how our way is celebrated,” she said.

BRT6HC offers Dillon the capacity to perform her role with ease by giving its employees current best practices in current health and electronic record keeping.

“They’ve offered me good learning experiences and keep up to par with Saskatchewan Health Authority in electronic charting, Electronic Medical Records and even Panorama Vaccine Database,” she said. “The old way, you had to track down records, catch the nurse, make phone calls and send faxes but now I can hop on a computer and I can access information easily.”

Community Engagement

Employees at the health centre said BRT6HC’s community focus helps them engage with the people they serve.

“We have a pancake breakfast day on Aboriginal Day and it’s a big celebration where the community comes out and dance is incorporated. We’ve counted plates and served well over 1000 people,” Dillon said.

Gloria Flammond works as a Head Start Home Visitor and has been with the agency nearly four years.

She says the Aboriginal Day Pancake Breakfast on June 21 and Family Fun Day allows her to engage with the communities she serves including Little Pine First Nation, Moosomin First Nation, Mosquito First Nation and Poundmaker Cree Nation.

“It’s an amazing team to work with. Head Start Home Visiting Program, where I am, we go into homes for kids who are zero to six-years-old and we read, play and talk to their parents. We offer a nutrition aspect too by bringing snacks and educating parents,” she said.

Flammond went on to say she loves her role in the community and the human services she offers.

“I love Head Start, I think they’re amazing. It’s a very awesome place to work that is holistic and family oriented. The health centre meets all needs of the communities we serve,” she said. “I’m proud to say that I am an employee of Battle River Treaty 6.”

Services Offered

BRT6HC is a First Nation owned and operated health facility which provides a wide range of services to six First Nation member bands in the surrounding areas. The health centre celebrated its 40^th anniversary in July 2019.

Patricia Whitecalf-Ironstand, Executive Director said BRT6HC vision is to work towards engaged and holistic communities by providing services that are client and family centered; honor traditional values; promote physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional well-being.

“We are growing, especially our mental health and addictions department which includes a cultural program that was introduced threes ago” she said. “The cultural program focuses on bringing cultural traditions and healing to our work. We reach out to clients offering ceremonies to help in their healing, we also work with a group of elders who are always available to speak with staff and clients,” she said.

Whitecalf-Ironstand went on to say the Wellness Department expanded from six to 20 employees in five years with three positions for urban clients and a mental health liaison worker. In total, there are 120 employees at BRT6HC.

Wellness has a youth transition worker that works in schools helping First Nation students who move to the city by providing resources and connections to services. The health centre also works closely with probation workers providing mental health, addictions and cultural support for those with legal troubles.

“We offer home care nursing and home health-aid services where clients in the community remain at home if they have a chronic disease or disability,” she said. “We provide any services that we can to help the client remain independent in the home.”

The health centre offers a range of health services including a Diabetes nurse, dietician, exercise therapist and a comprehensive team that brings services together for one client to help manage diabetes.

“We also offer Community Health Services that includes environmental health, communicable disease control and immunization, prenatal and postnatal visits, school programming, sexual health clinic which provides anonymous STI testing,” she said.

BRT6HC offers an Early Childhood Development Program which focuses on children from zero to six-years-old in their growth and development and work closely with parents, promoting child-parent interaction that promotes the child’s developmental growth.

The health centre offers school based dental programs offering treatments in schools, health promotion in creating tobacco awareness on commercial versus cultural tobacco and other health promotion ideas.

“We really dug in and wanted to bring back the cultural values of First Nations so we’ve adopted the seven sacred teachings and those are our company values that we try to live by every day.