| Summary: | The Weeneebayko Area Health Authority (WAHA) services 6 communities in the James and Hudson Bay region of Northern Ontario: Moosonee, Moose Factory, Attawapiskat, Fort Albany, Kashechewan, and Peawanuck. The WAHA collaborated with a multitude of provincial and federal partners to organize phased COVID-19 vaccine rollouts through “Operation Remote Immunity”. There is a lack of information regarding the coordination of clinics in these communities. This thesis investigated the perspectives of leadership and healthcare providers regarding COVID-19 vaccination for communities serviced by the WAHA. The main objectives of this study were to describe the system of vaccination, identify systemic barriers and facilitators to vaccination, and define priorities for improvement within community healthcare systems. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 participants who were involved in the vaccination and pandemic response for these communities. Interview data was analyzed by reflexive thematic analysis. The results showed that leveraging local leadership, collaboration, community-minded approaches, and connection to the land strengthened the pandemic response and vaccination system. However, a lack of health human resources, disjointed communication, urgency and panic, differences among the communities in the region, and context-specific challenges to providing proof of vaccination presented the largest barriers encountered by participants. The findings from this study will be useful in the post-pandemic period and for future public health emergencies. M.Sc.
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