Planning is underway for a new community Health and Wellness Centre in Old Crow. The Government of Yukon has budgeted $750,000 this year for planning of the new facility, which will replace the existing aging health centre.
The Government of Yukon is working together with the Government of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation to plan for the centre. The design will be based on a collaborative care model and will provide both health and social services under the same roof to better meet the needs of the community.
The new centre will provide regional social services, home care services, mental wellness and substance use services, and community nursing health services. Space will also be designated for regional therapy and dental visits.
To support construction of the new Health and Wellness Centre, a winter road to Old Crow is planned for 2021. Completion of the health and wellness centre in Old Crow is anticipated for spring 2023.
The new Old Crow Health and Wellness Centre will be the first of its kind in Yukon, providing both health and social services with a collaborative care model. This is an opportunity to work with the community to better meet their needs by providing health and social services in one facility, allowing for more integrated, collaborative care into the future. We look forward to working together with the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation to ensure Old Crow residents continue to receive high quality and accessible services.
Minister of Health and Social Services Pauline Frost
The Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation welcomes the budget announcement for a health and wellness centre in the fly-in community of Old Crow. This signals the renewal of health and wellness in our community, and in moving from aged buildings we can look to reinvent the spaces that will serve our people in Yukon’s most remote community. We celebrate this needed solution.
Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation Chief of Government Dana Tizya-Tramm
A government review of all Yukon health centres in 2018 found that the Old Crow Health Centre was a priority for replacement. The initial plan that has been developed for the centre will guide its design and is scalable and adaptable so it can also be used to suit the needs of other Yukon communities.
The current health centre was built in the early 1970s, with a two-storey addition in 1986.
Janine Workman
Cabinet Communications
867-393-7449
janine.workman@gov.yk.ca
Julie Ménard
Communications, Health and Social Services
867-667-8478
Julie.Menard@gov.yk.ca