5250 Vestry St.Halifax, NSB3K2N97 April 2014Virginia MorganHealth Management Nurse16 Dentith RoadSpryfield Shopping CenterDear Mrs Morgan, My name is Jennifer Young, I am a registered nurse at the Spryfield Community Health Center for 3 years. I am writing to you to respond to the growing concern about Aboriginal health disparities 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 me and my nursing colleagues. I have found that many factors are linked to these disparities and have taken the time to address them with you, including some suggestions for narrowing the gap between Aboriginal health, both mentally and physically. Health education is important to the Aboriginal community. Specifically, health literacy is essential for accessing healthcare and maintaining health and well-being. Aboriginal culture views health holistically, covering mind, body and spirit and including a close relationship with the natural environment. This is very different from our Western biomedicine, which focuses on disease and nurse-patient interactions 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 background. For this reason, I suggest that our clinic approaches teaching health to Aboriginal 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 should be aware of the Medicine Wheel, which is an Aboriginal concept of good-...... middle of paper ...... Aboriginal communities, health professionals and government to discuss Aboriginal nursing issues and practice. We must recognize the limitations of our clinic in addressing Aboriginal health needs and our clinic must support a system that recognizes the root causes of mental health problems in Aboriginal people, which arise from the residential environment, practices of schooling, colonization and assimilation of the Canadian government. Westernized practices still used in 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 by increasing our awareness and understanding of relationships with customers from cultural contexts different from ours. Kind regards, Jennifer Young