In 2003, the Athabasca Health Authority opened the Athabasca Health Facility, Yutthe Dene Nakohoki (“A Place to Heal Northern People”). The $12.7M facility is a full service acute-care and long-term hospital and community health facility, located on the Black Lake Reserve (Chicken 224), approximately 1 kilometre from Stony Rapids.
The Athabasca Health facility offers and utilizes both modern and traditional First Nation Health care methods. The vision of the Athabasca Health Facility includes an emphasis on traditional values, concepts and health practices being respected and understood in partnership with contemporary health care, and an ownership of the governance, management and delivery of health services in the region.
Services provided include 24-hour emergency services, 7-day a week physician services, an inpatient resident care unit, with acute care, long-term care beds, and a variety of paramedical services such as dental, physiotherapy and mental health. Client visits to the clinic from Black Lake average 1,200 per month.