Finning Recognized For Healthy Gift

Photo: Dan Fouts, board director, (Northern Lights Health Foundation), Richard Leeming, general manager oil sands, (Finning), Jennifer Splaine, manager, Area 10, population, public and Indigenous health, (Alberta Health Services), Stephanie Doucet, Indigenous liaison, (Alberta Health Services), Raymond Powder, council member, (Fort McKay First Nation)

In 2012, when Alberta Health Services identified that Aboriginal people in northern Alberta faced issues accessing health care, Finning committed $200,000 over four years to the Northern Lights Health Foundation to fund a new Aboriginal health liaison position. “As a long-time member of the community and an organization committed to health and safety, we wanted to help enhance the quality of local services available to residents of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo,” said Brent Davis, Finning VP oil sands and mining solutions.

Finning’s investment in the Aboriginal health liaison position, which connected First Nation and Metis people in communities from Fort Chipewyan to Conklin to the health care services they needed, has been a huge success. “Because of the location of many of our Aboriginal residents and communities, having regular access to health care has been a challenge,” says Raymond Powder, council member, Fort McKay First Nation. “There is a great need for this role to help educate and assist our people in finding the health care they require. Whether visiting Elders in their homes, or attending Well Baby Clinics or helping to establish the public health clinic at the Centre of Hope, the Aboriginal health liaison has been a valuable resource for our people because of Finning’s generous support.“

The success of the position has resulted in Alberta Health Services creating a permanent role to serve Aboriginal community members across the Wood Buffalo region. In recognition of Finning’s commitment to local health and wellness in the region, Raymond Powder and other council members from the Fort McKay First Nation, representatives from the Northern Lights Health Foundation and Alberta Health Services visited our Fort McKay branch on May 11 for a celebration lunch and to personally thank Finning for positively affecting the health and wellness of our friends, neighbours and co-workers in Aboriginal communities across Wood Buffalo.

“This partnership between Finning, Alberta Health Services and the Northern Lights Health Foundation is a testament to how having a vision and working together to identify a critical missing link and finding a solution to fill that gap, can work and make a difference in our community,” said Brent.