What is Jordan’s Principle?
Jordan’s Principle is a principle that ensures that a substantive equality and that there are no gaps in publicly funded health, social and education programs, and supports for First Nations children.
Jordan River Anderson was a young boy from Norway House Cree Nation, located 456km north of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Born with complex medical needs, Jordan spent the entirety of his life in a Winnipeg hospital while the federal and provincial governments fought financial responsibility for his necessary homecare. After two years of dispute, Jordan died in hospital at age 5, never having returned to his community or lived in his family home.
Named in his honour, Jordan’s Principle passed in the House of Commons in 2007, ensuring that there are no gaps in publicly funded health, social and education programs, and supports for First Nations children living on- and off-reserve. Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin’s Jordan’s Principle initiative is committed to upholding the right to access necessary healthcare services without delays occurring over jurisdictional disputes.
What are the objectives of Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin’s Jordan’s Principle?
- Increase access to physician services in the First Nation communities, ensuring that the quality of care provided is equivalent to or better than the accepted standard of care as regulated and prescribed by the Province of Manitoba and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba
- Expand the delivery of primary care services
- Increase public participation in healthcare delivery
Last year (2022-2023), our Jordan’s Principle initiative brought pediatric and clinical health psychology clinics to 12 of the 14 under-serviced First Nation communities supported and represented by KIM. This number continues to grow each year as community engagement increases, enabling the Jordan’s Principle team to identify unique needs across the province.
Providing these services in-person (as well as virtually) fills gaps in the available care for First Nations children and youth, mitigating expensive travel, inappropriate referrals, and misdiagnoses.
To contact our Jordan’s Principle team, please reach out to [email protected]. For more information on Jordan’s Principle, click here.