(Laurentian University of Sudbury, 2014-05-21) Curran, Jeffrey
The Sachigo Lake Wilderness Emergency Response Education Initiative represented a
partnership between Sachigo Lake First Nation in northern Ontario Canada, and medical
professionals and university researchers from outside the community. This study was one
component of a larger community-based participatory research program to develop locally
relevant first response training to address the isolation from emergency healthcare in Sachigo
Lake. The aim of this qualitative study was to complete a formative evaluation to understand
how a five-day comprehensive training course implemented in May 2012: (a) met the local needs
of Sachigo Lake; and (b) fostered resilience and community capacity. The results of this study
describe the unique features of delivering first aid training in a remote context and illustrate the
intrapersonal and interpersonal impacts of the program. Health promotion through community based
first aid education is a model with potential to improve emergency care in the absence of
formal emergency medical services.
