A Message from the Health Director
She:kon/Aaniin/Koolamalsi/Wachiyaa,
My name is Tobi Mitchell, and I am the new Director of Health for the Chiefs of Ontario as of July 2021. I come from my home community of Akwesasne, finishing up a term as an elected Chief and bring forth years of technical experience in Health Policy with the Independent First Nations, Chiefs of Ontario in Non-Insured Health Benefits and at the Assembly of First Nations. I want to thank Carmen Jones for her hard work and dedication over these last few years. I would also like to acknowledge all of the hard work that is being done on the front lines in all 133 First Nations. Without the dedication of front-line staff in coordinating emergency response, our communities would be in a much more critical condition, and we want to acknowledge the collective efforts put forth by the communities to keep their members safe.
While I know we are all suffering from ‘pandemic fatigue’ and are feeling the strain of the last two years; I want to extend our utmost appreciation to the leadership and front-line workers for the valuable work you are doing to help your communities navigate their way through this difficult time. While the pandemic is far from over, I encourage everyone to continue to get their vaccines and booster shots as they are eligible to receive them. We encourage you to practice all public health measures for the safety of you, your family and your community. We will see you all at the Annual Health Forum February 22-24, 2022, and hopefully in person again at the 2023 Health Forum!
Nia:wen,
Tobi Mitchell – Tobi.Mitchell@coo.org
