In 1999 Health Canada, now Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), rolled out the First Nations Home and Inuit and Community Care (FNIHCC) Program to many of its semi-remote and isolated communities across Ontario’s vast northern geography.

First Nations developed distinct Home and Community Care Programs to capture the unique home care needs of their communities. A range of diverse programs were created with varied levels of service across the region.

Over the years, the voices of home care identified continuous challenges of isolation, separation, and disparity among the collective Home and Community Care Programs. In 2018, with the effort of key contributors, the Northern Ontario Home and Community Care Network (NOHCCN) was established to be a unified support for all HCC programs across the north.

In 2020 the NOHCCN hosted its first conference for the Northern Ontario Home and Community Care Programs. This not only validated the needed for collaboration and relationship building, but also served as a powerful platform to network and work towards building capacity together.

The Northern Ontario Home and Community Care Network (NOHCCN) continues to host an Annual Gathering emphasizing all NOHCCN objectives and ensures activities are carried out in a good way, respectful of all teachings, for all involved, and is inclusive of traditional health laws:

• To foster knowledge exchange and the transfer of new ideas
• Support communities to build capacity and access resources
• To advocate for future needs