SIOUX LOOKOUT FIRST NATIONS HEALTH AUTHORITY OPENS THUNDER BAY OFFICE
April 21, 2022
Thunder Bay, ON
Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority (SLFNHA) held a small opening ceremony today at their new satellite office location in Thunder Bay, at 981 Balmoral Street, Suite 200.
CEO and President James Morris and Acting Board Chair Howard Meshake were on hand with Elders and local dignitaries to offer blessings to the new site.
The current offices in Sioux Lookout remain fully operational. The expanding needs of the communities served by SLFNHA, which number 33 First Nations and include more than 40,000 people, both on and off-reserve, has required the expansion of SLFNHA to Thunder Bay.
Since April 2021, there have been nearly 5,100 visits by SLFNHA community members to Thunder Bay for medical appointments. That number was almost 800 in November 2021 alone.
The move to create a Thunder Bay office comes after much thought and consideration by the SLFNHA Board, which was advised in a 2021 report by Public Health Physician Dr. John Guilfoyle that a presence in Thunder Bay would address the growing needs of SLFNHA community members in urban settings. Guilfoyle, who has since retired, speaks with over 30 years of experience in the Public Health field.
The Thunder Bay office is currently operating with essential staff only, as aligned with current SLFNHA health and safety policy.
L-R James Morris, SLFNHA CEO and President, Howard Meshake, Acting SLFNHA Board Chair, present Chief Peter Collins, Fort William First Nation, with a framed gift Front: Jeannie Carpenter, wife of Howard Meshake.
Read more and download the Media Release here.
