5 Animal Taste Sensation

There is no denying the health problems in these communities. Everything from diabetes to RSV, mental and physical health, public health concerns and the private concerns of individuals, these are everyday events here in Rankin Inlet. They are in other places too, but here the resources seem stretched.

Everywhere Diabetes is one of the most rapidly increasing diseases. It’s a concern in the south, but up here, with the constant deluge of media advertising, it’s much worse since people are inside more in the bad weather. The cost of canned pop is high here, but so is the demand. Dental care is sadly lacking for many Inuit since the introduction of sugar into their diets. Some of the elders have fewer teeth than those damaged gears in my processor rack.

Smoking, and its link to health problems, is even tougher. Many of the staff, here at the health centre, take a smoke break. They dress for the cold weather and a few minutes later, they return. The “Imouti” (those lovely coats with the built in baby carriers) provide a safe haven for the child but become a chimney if the wearer is also a smoker. The exhaled smoke can hang directly above the infant. Vehicle windows are always closed so everyone in the car is always breathing the same air. Respiratory disease is something that will also increase in the future.

Pamphlets and brochures are available and written in both Inuktitut and English. Everything from spousal abuse, prescription drug dependency, colorectal cancer, Hepatitis A and B, coping with loss, smoking while pregnant, family violence, conflict resolution and post traumatic stress are all topics that are available in printed matter. Free condom machines are at the centre, but I just realized I never tried the machine to see if they are ready for dispensing.

Posters and flyers are everywhere, anything from increasing your awareness in hand washing to the various diseases especially RSV here in young kids. So important is this that the posters have overshadowed the large poster of local NHL star Jordin TooToo in our main waiting area.

On the sexual front, teenage pregnancy and std’s are commonplace like many communities. Prevention and education are at the forefront of the war on health risk reduction. In the north, they have found novel ways to encourage that the message gets across.

The most novel approach that I’ve seen though, is the five flavours as shown above and their slogans. The five animals shown are familiar to anyone raised in the north. The Muskox, Char, Caribou, Seal and Muktaaq (whale) are known to anyone locally. That The Canadian Inuit HIV/Aids Network would incorporate them into a program about disease and aids prevention is uncanny. Each of the “5” is printed on cardboard that when folded becomes a holder for a condom. “BRILLIANT!” as the Guiness guys would say. These were handed out at the Arctic Games…the condom holders not the beers.

Change won’t happen overnight and attitudes take time to adjust with everyone. The internet and the access to all the satellite and cable channels continue to affect people’s health here, both positively but many times negatively. There are gyms to workout here in town. Many people walk everywhere as well. The outcome of future generations will continue to evolve. What it will be like here in RI, G.O.K. (God Only Knows).