Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay facts for kids

The Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay (CBHSSJB) is an organization that provides health and social services. It serves the Cree territory in Northern Quebec, Canada. The CBHSSJB was created because of an important agreement called the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement. This agreement was made between the Cree people, the Inuit people, and the governments of Quebec and Canada. The Cree are one of Canada's Indigenous groups, also known as First Nations.

Understanding the Cree Health Board

The CBHSSJB helps people stay healthy and get the support they need. It manages a main hospital and nine clinics across a large area. This area is about the size of France.

What the CBHSSJB Does

The clinics offer emergency care and family doctor services. They are called Community Miyupimaatisiiun Centres. Miyupimaatisiiun is a Cree word from Eastern James Bay. It means "being alive well," which is their way of saying "health." All these centres have doctors and nurses working there all the time.

Community Health Centres

These centres are very important for the communities. They make sure that everyone can get medical help when they need it. This includes regular check-ups and urgent care.

Promoting Health and Wellness

The CBHSSJB has a special Public Health Department. This department works to stop diseases from spreading. It also helps protect and improve the health of everyone in the community.

Tackling Health Challenges

One big challenge for the department is dealing with obesity and diabetes among the Cree people. These are health conditions that affect many people. The department works hard to find ways to prevent and manage them.

Research for Better Health

The CBHSSJB partners with researchers to learn more about health. For example, a study in 2018 looked at how traditional Cree foods help people stay healthy. This research helps understand how diet, language, and food sovereignty affect health. Since the 1990s, they have been researching diabetes. This research even led to finding Awashishinic Acid. This is a special compound in traditional Cree foods that can help prevent diabetes.

Supporting Young People

The CBHSSJB also runs homes for young people in Chisasibi and Mistissini. These are places where young people can get support and guidance. There is also a special centre in Mistissini that helps young people with their well-being.

Sharing Health Knowledge

The CBHSSJB also acts as a small publisher. It creates health materials focused on Indigenous people. This includes pamphlets about diabetes and books about Indigenous health. Some examples are The Sweet Bloods of the Eeyou Istchee: Stories of Diabetes and the James Bay Cree and The gift of healing: health problems and their treatments.

How the CBHSSJB Started

The Cree Health Board began in 1978. This was a few years after the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement was signed in 1975. This agreement was a major step for the Cree people and the Government of Quebec.

The James Bay Agreement

This agreement was about land claims. It meant that the Cree people had rights to their traditional lands. A part of this agreement was about health services. The Cree people were meant to have the same health services as other people in Quebec and Canada. However, they also wanted to manage their own health services. They wanted to do this in their own language and in a way that respected their traditional values and culture. This helped them create the CBHSSJB.