Nunavummiut deserve praise for tackling FASD

I would like to express my appreciation and commendation to the people of Nunavut for their dedication to solving community problems.

This was clearly demonstrated during the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Symposium held in Iqaluit recently. As a presenter at the conference, I came away from it with the distinct impression that the attendees were very committed to addressing this problem at the community level.

FASD affects all communities around the world, but not all show the same commitment to develop awareness, prevention, and management programs for those affected in the individual communities.

Nunavut has much to commend it, but not least is the participation of so many professionals willing to rethink old solutions and to develop new models for treatment.

Together, you can make a huge difference for those affected by FASD, whether in the home or in the community at large. It takes a community to raise a child, someone has said, and Nunavut seems uniquely cognizant of that reality.

Fr. Dale Jeffrey
Chaplain
Regional Psychiatric Centre
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
dale.jeffrey@sk.sympatico.ca