5250 Vestry St. Halifax, NSB3K2N97 April 2014Virginia MorganNurse Health Management16 Dentith RoadSpryfield Shopping CenterDear Ms. Morgan,My name is Jennifer Young, I am a nurse licensed to the Spryfield Community Health Center for 3 years. I am writing to address the growing concern about health disparities in the Indigenous population that I have witnessed in my practice. Specifically, the disproportionately high levels of Type II diabetes, suicide and alcohol abuse in the Aboriginal community have been of great concern to my nursing colleagues and me. I have discovered that many factors are linked to these disparities and I took the time to discuss them with you. including some suggestions for closing the gap between Indigenous health, both mental and physical. Health education is important to the Aboriginal community. Specifically, health literacy is essential for accessing health care and maintaining health and well-being. Indigenous culture views health in a holistic way, as it relates to the mind, body and spirit, and including a close relationship with the natural environment. This is very different from our Western biomedicine, which focuses on the disease and interactions between nurse and patient rather than the community as a whole. Research suggests that customers are more willing to learn about their health when the information provided is relevant to their personal history. For this reason, I suggest that our clinic approaches teaching health to Indigenous clients in the same way that these clients approach health beliefs; a holistic vision that includes the environment and the spiritual world. When teaching clients about illness and health, our nurses must be knowledgeable about the medicine wheel, which is an Indigenous concept of well-...... middle of paper ......e Indigenous communities, professionals health and government to discuss Indigenous health nursing issues and practice. We must recognize the limitations of our clinic in meeting the health needs of Aboriginal people and our clinic must advocate for a system that recognizes the root causes of mental health problems among Aboriginal people, which arise from residential problems. schooling, colonization and assimilation practices of the Canadian government. Westernized practices still used by our clinic must be addressed and our nurses must engage in new learning opportunities with people from other cultural backgrounds with the goal of creating an environment that promotes culturally competent nursing care by increasing our awareness and understanding of customer relationships. from cultural backgrounds different from ours. Sincerely, Jennifer Young