Dilico Anishinabek Family Care appoints new CEO
By Rick Garrick
THUNDER BAY — Newly appointed Dilico Anishinabek Family Care CEO Natalie Paavola is excited about her new role after working with Dilico for 17 years, most recently as director of health and wellness.
“What I hope to do and will continue to do is build on the partnerships and relationships that previous leaders have started and were working on,” Paavola says. “So I hope to continue with that as I know that the partnerships and relationships are important to building out services within the communities and within the City of Thunder Bay.”
Paavola says the majority of her professional career has been in management positions with Dilico and within the Indigenous service field. She is a graduate from Lakehead University’s Indigenous Learning program, Confederation College’s Native Mental Health program, and Northern College’s First Nations Constable program, and she has also completed several leadership training programs, including Rotman Leadership, the First Nations Health Managers Association designation, and Leadership Thunder Bay.
“I am honoured to step into this role and continue the important work started by our leaders before me,” Paavola says. “I will work hard every day to ensure that the services we deliver reflect the needs of the people — created by First Nations, for First Nations. Together, we will continue to build strong, culturally grounded services that reflect who we are as Anishinabek people.”
Paavola says she previously oversaw primary care, children’s mental health, and midwifery during her role as director of health and wellness.
“One of the things I’m super proud of is the midwifery program,” Paavola says, noting that prior to Dilico’s midwifery program, there wasn’t an Indigenous-led midwifery program within the City of Thunder Bay and the region. “We worked on building up that program and making it accessible into the communities. The clients don’t have to come to our site; the midwives are actually going out and meeting the people where they are at, so wherever they are, that’s where the midwives will go and provide service, and that removes the barrier of lack of transportation and having barriers such as poverty. So that’s some of the exciting work I have been able to be a part of and oversee.”
Paavola says she believes in living a balanced lifestyle, including doing athletic exercises such as running.
“I probably exercise almost every day, and it’s nothing rigorous,” Paavola says. “When I’m exercising consistently, I feel good, so that is a huge part of my own well-being.”
Paavola says she is excited about continuing on with the vision that the 13 founding First Nations leaders had when they came together and created Dilico in 1986.
“They wanted to be able to provide services by First Nations for First Nations, and I’m just really excited to be a part of that journey and vision that they had all those years ago,” Paavola says. “That’s what I want to continue to do and it’s an honour for me.”
Paavola says the leaders’ vision originated with doing their own child welfare. Dilico now provides child welfare, mental health and addictions, and primary health services.
“It’s just an honour to be a part of that expansion and an honour to be a conduit of transformation, whether that be in child welfare or health or any other service field,” Paavola says. “Dilico has been a leader in Indigenous service delivery for decades now and to be able to carry that vision on is a privilege and I’m honoured to do that.”