Northern B.C. kids' health outcomes 'alarming' says Northern Health

"When we compare the health of children in northern B.C. to the rest of the province, the picture is concerning."

That from a new report by Northern Health about the state of children's health in that part of the province.

The Chief Medical Health Officer's Health Status Report on Child Health found the north's rate of children hospitalized for injury is among the highest in the province, as are rates of child abuse and neglect. It also found northern B.C. has higher infant mortalityand about one third of children are not ready to transition into school.

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"I was really hoping that by finding some of this data and putting it into a document that we could bring forth communities to have a conversation that will set the tone for making some improvements on some of these measures," Northern Health's chief medical health officer, Sandra Allison, told Radio West host Audrey McKinnon.

'Alarming' rates of neglect and abuse

Allison said one of the most worrisomethings for her were the "alarming" rates of child abuse and neglect in the North.

She says childhood trauma can often set the tone for future health indicators, which makes it important to address early.

"It's very concerning," she said. "Adverse childhood experiences like child abuse, like neglect, can lend themselves to chronic disease, mental health issues and substance issues in adulthood If we can keep our children safe in early childhood, it goes better."

Allison says part of the difficulty with findings about child abuse and neglect is they happen outside the health care system, so there's little Northern Health can do.

She says staff are working to detect signs of abuse and neglect in children when they come into the health care system and also to provide better education to parents.

Discrimination, other factors hurting First Nations communities

Allison says she's interested in the root causes of these problems andwants to look into First Nations communities as part of that.

She says issues of colonialism, the impact of residential schools and racial discrimination including discrimination in the health care system could be factors negatively impacting those communities.

"The damage has really impacted families' ability to function as a family," she said. "So we need to revisit that and really understand what resources families need to ensure families are nurturing, they have appropriate nutrition, the environments they're in are stable and supportive and ensure the relationships people are in are appropriate, responsive relationships."

Allison says Northern Health is working on giving staff culturalfamiliarity training and implementing recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report.

With files from CBC Radio One's Radio West