A family from the Wolastoqey community in New Brunswick is facing uncertainty in accessing medical care for their three-year-old son due to delays in the approval of funding applications under Jordan’s Principle.
Stephanie Francis expressed frustration over the prolonged process, emphasizing that children should not be left without necessary care while governments navigate financial responsibilities. Stephanie and Ashton Francis, residents of Tobique First Nation, are parents to Beckett, who suffers from glycogen storage disorder type 1A, a condition that impedes his liver’s ability to metabolize glycogen, making him susceptible to severe drops in blood sugar.
Beckett requires overnight feeding through a gastrostomy tube every two to three hours to prevent hypoglycemia, a condition that can lead to seizures, coma, or even death. Despite medical recommendations from doctors at the IWK Health Centre for a night nurse, the Francis family faced repeated rejections and delays in their applications to Indigenous Services Canada’s Jordan’s Principle program.
Jordan’s Principle aims to ensure timely access to critical health and social services for First Nations children, deferring jurisdictional disputes over funding responsibility. According to Lucy You, Liver Canada’s vice-president of strategy, health, and technology, overnight nursing care is often essential for children with gastrostomy tubes and GSD 1A, surpassing what families can manage independently.
Although the Jordan’s Principle program initially approved funding for a night nurse five nights a week for Beckett, the family encountered recurring obstacles, necessitating frequent reapplications and enduring new delays.
Carllia Panton, the night nurse who has been assisting the Francis family, highlighted the positive impact of her care on Beckett’s health and the family’s well-being. Despite facing payment uncertainties due to funding delays, Carllia remained dedicated to providing care for Beckett out of moral obligation.
The family’s request for weekend overnight nursing has been denied twice, with their appeal now stalled in the growing backlog of Jordan’s Principle cases. The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal’s directive to address the program’s backlog of 140,000 applications by the federal government remains unfulfilled, with Indigenous Services Canada acknowledging the ongoing strain on families and communities.
In a meeting with New Brunswick government officials, Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty, and representatives from the Assembly of First Nations, the Francis family, supported by Wolastoqey chiefs, shared their challenges in accessing timely care through Jordan’s Principle.
Chief Allan Polchies of Sitansisk First Nation underscored the financial burden borne by communities to cover urgent medical costs for individuals awaiting Jordan’s Principle responses, emphasizing the federal government’s failure to uphold commitments to First Nations children.
Stephanie Francis expressed hope that families facing similar medical needs will not encounter similar hurdles in securing funding through Jordan’s Principle in the future, stressing the importance of prioritizing children’s access to essential services without delay.