Who we are
Community-Led Changes
The Better Together Project is about making local healthcare better for Indigenous peoples. Leaders and partners are working together to create Indigenous health spaces in the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre, in communities, and on the land. Reflecting Indigenous models of care, these places will change how Indigenous people receive healthcare.
The Better Together Project is a new way of thinking and doing things. It's about the approach, the space, and the action.
Approach (Thinking)
Use new ways of thinking, challenge worldviews including ideas, and beliefs, and focus on community and land-based healing. Apply a Two-Eyed Seeing approach to work together, see things from different perspectives, and believe in involving everyone in decisions.
Space (Being)
Create physical spaces in hospitals, communities, and on the land. Develop virtual programs where people feel welcome and get help. These are places where everyone feels included and belongs.
Action (Doing)
Provide healthcare services, train healthcare providers, teach about land-based health and healing, plan how people leave the hospital, create new rules, talk to the government, and build good relationships.
BTP Partners
The Better Together Project (BTP) began when Alberta Health Services (AHS) and the Athabasca Tribal Council (ATC) agreed to work together to improve healthcare in the Wood Buffalo area. One big change will be creating an Indigenous Health Space at the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre (NLRHC) in Fort McMurray. They are also working with the Northern Lights Health Foundation and the University of Alberta’s College of Health Sciences. Syncrude, operated by Suncor, is helping financially to support some of the research needed.
Roles of the Better Together Project Partners:
Athabasca Tribal Council
ATC is in charge of leading the project using Indigenous voices, talking with people, sharing information, and, most importantly, teaching and speaking up about it. ATC wants to connect with all Indigenous communities in the area, including First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people who live in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. ATC promises that all Indigenous communities can join in the Better Together Project and help decide how it will work.
Alberta Health Services (AHS)
AHS will help make important changes to break down barriers that make it hard for Indigenous communities to get fair healthcare. They promise to give what's needed to make the Indigenous Health Space work well. AHS wants all Indigenous people in the area to feel respected, safe, and cared for.
Northern Lights Health Foundations (NLHF)
AHS is dedicated to helping. The Northern Lights Health Foundation is raising money to build the Indigenous Health Space at the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre. They've already secured some funds for research and data collection in the BTP thanks to a kind donation from Syncrude, which is run by Suncor.
University of Alberta, Health Sciences
AHS is working with the University of Alberta’s Health Sciences department. They are using the CARE (Collaborative Applied Research for Equity in Health Policy and Systems) Research Lab to do research. This research will help make changes that help Indigenous people and healthcare workers.
To contact the Better Together Project team
Past and Upcoming Events
Better Together Project Workshops at the ATC Cultural Festival
Land-Based Health & Wellness Teaching
Indigenous voices lead the success of the Better Together Project. In the spirit of engagement, community members are welcome to participate in this workshop to gain a deeper understanding of land-based health and healing through traditional tea making. The workshop is led by the BTP Engagement team and facilitated by Traditional Healers and Elders Leonard and Amanda Cardinal. Participants will be guided through traditional healing practices and demonstrations with opportunities to ask questions about BTP in a safe learning environment. Participants will walk away with a small medicine bundle.
Friday, September 13, 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm (Adult)
Saturday, September 14, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm (Youth)
Saturday, September 14, 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm (Adult)
Activity: Welcome, Opening Prayer & Smudge, Land-based Health & Wellness Teachings, Tea Making, Closing Circle, Prayer & Smudge.
This workshop is free.
