Athabasca Tribal Council (ATC) and Alberta Health Services (AHS) have announced that they’ve entered a memorandum of understanding to design and implement an Indigenous Health Clinic at the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre (NLRHC) in Fort McMurray.

ATC, CEO, Karla Buffalo said in a press release that over the next five years they will work on improving access to quality health care for Indigenous people.

“This will ensure that the five First Nations served by ATC will directly determine the services they need most,” Buffalo said.

Services offered in the clinic will be determined following community engagement.

The partnership between the ATC and AHS is intended to ensure that anyone needing help will get access to the support and services they require.

“This is, at its heart, a conversation with Indigenous communities on the problems they have experienced accessing quality health care,” President of Athabasca Tribal Council, Chief Allan Adam commented in the release.

The new Indigenous Health Clinic is expected to reside in the currently vacant space on the former long-term care floor at the NLRHC.