In 2015, Kahnawà:ke took a big step towards a better understanding of local health issues by participating for the first time in the Regional Health Survey. For this survey, 616 community members (a sample representing approximately 7900 people) answered questions about a wide range of health and social issues, such as: whether they had ever been diagnosed with any chronic diseases, what they do to stay healthy and what they feel the biggest health and social challenges to the community are. Thanks to the hard work and participation of so many people, Kahnawà:ke now has a much clearer picture of the health status across the community.

The survey results give unprecedented insight into the habits, behaviours, feelings, experiences, support networks, community connectedness and other root causes that can lead to health or to illness for individuals, and that can influence their quality of life. This is incredibly important for decision-making by Onkwata’karitáhtshera committees, organizational leaders, front-line workers and for program development in the community by everyone aiming to prevent diseases and promote health. As the community participates in future cycles of the RHS, we will be able to use this information to look at trends, new health and social issues, and to better evaluate our present-day actions.

The community’s participation in the Regional Health Survey Phase 3 in 2015-2016 was a milestone for governance of community health data. The next RHS Phase 4, which is currently being planned, is an important opportunity to see trends over time and measure successes, impacts, and emerging issues. It is essential in continuing to attain an accurate depiction of Kahnawà:ke’s health condition and determining factors; supporting the future development of tools for follow up to improve the well-being of the community; supporting Kahnawà:ke’s decision-makers in tailoring programs and decisions based on the community’s needs.

The RHS is conducted through collaboration with the First Nations of Québec and Labrador Health and Social Services Commission (FNQLHSSC) and First Nations Indigenous Governance Center (FNIGC). The FNIGC has been collecting data with First Nations communities for over 25 years, using an approach based on inherent respect for data sovereignty and reflected in OCAP® principles, including the First Nations Regional Health Survey (RHS) since 2008.

More information can be found in the Health Portraits, and at the FNQLHSSC website:
First Nations Regional Health Survey - CSSSPNQL

Click here to view the full job description

Contact Blair Armstrong at
blaira@kscskahnawake.ca or 450-632-6880 ext. 30109
for more information!