Aboriginal Health Programs - Workforce Development supports the development of Aboriginal representative workforce strategies across the Winnipeg Health Region.

A representative workforce is one in which the diversity of the community is represented at all levels and within all classifications throughout the organization, in proportion to the representation in the population. A workforce such as this supports enhanced accessibility and availability of health services to our diverse consumers and those within the community that demonstrate the greatest need for health care interventions.

Manitoba has one of the largest Aboriginal populations in Canada with Winnipeg having the largest urban Aboriginal population in the country. A significant proportion, up to 40 per cent, of urban hospital patients may be Aboriginal and it is estimated that Aboriginal peoples utilize hospitals and medical services at a rate 2-3 times higher than other Manitobans.

The Workforce Development program is a resource to facilitate increased Aboriginal participation in Winnipeg Regional Health Authority's workforce through a variety of activities, services, regional projects, and organizational change initiatives.