title: Representation strategies in public participation in health policy: the Aboriginal Community Health Council.
abstract: Within Canada's Aboriginal population, an ongoing health promotion strategy has been the facilitation of community participation in the development and application of health policy. The Calgary Health Region's Aboriginal Community Health Council has provided a setting for involving the local Aboriginal population in health policy and program development for over a decade. This paper represents the results of a case study to identify the Council's strategies for this work. Data sources included documents, such as meeting minutes and other reports; key informant interviews with past and present Council members and health region representatives; and participant observation of Council functions. Although direct membership in the Council provided a core approach for representing the community, other strategies were actively utilized to involve the public. These included building links and partnerships with community organizations, networking, consultation activities and the identification of special needs groups.
authors.affiliation: Vancouver Coastal Health, 301-555 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, Canada V5Z 1C6. Darryl.Quantz@vch.ca
authors.forename: Darryl
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Quantz
authors.forename: Wilfreda E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Thurston
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D003256:Community Participation; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D009313:National Health Programs; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D011050:Policy Making; D044382:Population Groups