Oki, nisto, annakaok Naatoyaimoniisaakii, also known as Dr. Quintina Bearchief-Adolpho, PhD,
I was recently appointed Interim CEO of Siksika Health Services. I am grateful to Dr Tyler White for initially giving me the opportunity to return home as a Siksika Mental Health Clinical Team Leader seven years ago.
My experiences as Siksika Mental Health Team Leader, current Board president-elect of the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta, and longtime practicing and licensed PhD psychologist have come at a great cost of many of my predecessors to whom I owe a debt of gratitude. My late parents, Theresa and Clement Bearchief, have sacrificed much of their lives in support of my career. The late Amelia Clarke also encouraged and supported my educational aspirations. We are inheritors of a great history of those who have resiliently survived and provided us with a core foundation upon which to build. It is an honour to step into the role of Interim CEO of Siksika Health Services.
Although we have a rich inheritance, much of our inheritance has been eroded and decayed by the impact of the trauma we have suffered and perpetuated, both individually and collectively as a people. As a result, we suffer disconnection in our relationships with ourselves, others, the creation, and our creator. Over decades and centuries of external oppressive abuse the disconnection has had a hollowing effect, leaving our inheritances a mess. We are tasked to turn back to our ancestral Fathers, to return to our original roots of strength as Niitsitapi, and reclaim our connections to ourselves, our living relations and those around us, the creation, and our Creator. It is a battle on the front lines of both the spiritual and the physical, both components of Siksika Health Services.
My vision for the future of Siksika Health Services is to address the needs of the individual, one person at a time. In my study of permaculture, I have learned that: “If you want to make small changes, then change the way you “do” things. But, if you want to make BIG changes, you must change the way you “see and look” at things.”
My BIG intention as Interim CEO of Siksika Health Services is to heal the nation of disconnection within ourselves, with one another, with our creation, and with our creator. I believe it will have a result of decreasing brain-drain and promote brain-gain. The services currently offered at Siksika Health Services provide a strong foundation for this work, and I am excited to work with our team to build a brighter and more connected future.