+
HEALTHCARE RECRUITMENT & RETENTION COMMUNITY CONFERENCE 2024
The Honourable Michelle Thompson
Minister of Health and Wellness
The Honourable Michelle Thompson was first elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly as MLA for Antigonish in 2021.
She is a registered nurse. Prior to being an MLA, Ms. Thompson was CEO of a nursing home, taught nursing part-time, and worked as a part-time therapist for a non-profit organization.
+
HEALTHCARE RECRUITMENT & RETENTION COMMUNITY CONFERENCE 2024
The Honourable Barbara Adams
Minister of Seniors and Long-term Care
The Honourable Barbara Adams was first elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly as MLA for Cole Harbour—Eastern Passage in 2017 and was re-elected as the MLA for Eastern Passage in 2021. She is a member of the Progressive Conservative Caucus.
Barbara is the Minister of Seniors and Long-Term Care for the Province of Nova Scotia since August of 2021. She was the 50th woman elected to the Nova Scotia Legislature, serves as one of only 27 women in Nova Scotia ever to be appointed to a ministerial position. She was Canada’s first-ever minister appointment to the department of Seniors and Long-Term Care.
Barbara worked in the acute care hospital system in Ontario and Nova Scotia before moving into private practice in 2007. She was the Clinical Director of PhysioCare at Home and the owner of a private Physiotherapy business owner through the Atlantic Balance and Dizziness Centre in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
A lifelong volunteer, Barbara started working with children with special needs when she was 12 years old. She has volunteered as a soccer coach, guest speaker with many organizations like the Nova Scotia Arthritis Society, Alzheimer Society and Caregivers Nova Scotia to name a few.
Barbara served as a volunteer on many boards of directors including Eastern Passage Oceanview Continuing Care Centre, VON Halifax, and Serving Seniors Alliance. Barbara founded the Eastern Passage and Area Business Association, now 6 in its sixth year.
Since becoming MLA in 2017, Barbara founded the Eastern Passage and Area Action Committee, which founded the Youth Drop-in Centre at Horizon Rec Centre, the Music 4 Mental Health Committee, the Multicultural Committee, the Free Foot Care Clinic for Seniors, the Annual Eastern Passage and Area Business Map, and Community Directory, and many other community initiatives.
Under her leadership as Minister of Seniors and Long-Term Care, Barbara has overseen historic improvements in the sector. She began expanding the daily standard of care to 4.1 hours in long-term care facilities across the province. She ushered in a 23-percent wage increase for CCAs working in publicly funded facilities. Barbara also recently announced funding for an additional 1,200 net new beds in long-term care in Nova Scotia.
An advocate for seniors, as well as their families and caregivers,
Barbara continues to drive innovation and excellence in the sector in Nova Scotia.
A physiotherapist, Barbara graduated from Dalhousie University in 1984 and she also has a certificate in Business Management. She resides in Eastern Passage with her partner Mel, and is the proud mother of two sons and stepmother to two stepsons.
+
HEALTHCARE RECRUITMENT & RETENTION COMMUNITY CONFERENCE 2024
Dr. Brent Young
Dr. Brent Young is Anishinaabe and a member of Sandy Bay First Nation. His mother is a Sixties Scoop Survivor, and his grandmother was a survivor of Sandy Bay Indian Residential School. He was born and raised in Unama’ki, and he was highly recommended by community to serve as a keynote speaker for this event.
He is a family physician at Sipekne’katik Health Centre, academic director for Indigenous health at Dalhousie Medical School, and founding clinical lead of Wije’winen Health Centre. After returning from Calgary in 2021, he played a key role in supporting the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre in establishing primary care services for the urban Indigenous community of Halifax. This innovative work challenges us to re-think how we structure and support primary care in the province.
Dr. Young’s approach is rooted in Mi’kmaw and Indigenous self-determination. Through this, he has supported Dalhousie Medical School in developing a new Indigenous Admissions Pathway, which has seen a sustained increase in the number of Indigenous medical students being admitted to the university. This pathway is poised to become a key driver of the Indigenous physician workforce in the region and across Canada. His primary area of interest is dismantling anti-Indigenous racism in healthcare systems using rights-based frameworks.
Objectives:
Examine the pivotal role of the Mi’kmaw and Indigenous healthcare workforce in addressing recruitment and retention challenges.
Analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to effectively recruiting and retaining healthcare professionals in Nova Scotia.
Utilize an Indigenous perspective to comprehend and tackle the systemic hurdles that hinder the transformation of health systems for future sustainability.
