Primary Contact - Fall 2023
DR. BRIAN SEAMAN SETS A NEW STANDARD AS CHAIR OF MEDICAL SERVICES FOR NAIG 2023 By Susan Greschner
The pin used by medical staff symbolizes sweetgrass with the Mi’kma’ki eight-pointed star representing the eight areas of the Mi’kma’ki region on the Atlantic provinces and where part of Quebec now rests. Under the symbol (petroglyph) is the word Nepiluet, the Mi’kmaq word for “who will heal you.” The petroglyph and word were given to the medical team by the NAIG cultural staff as being the closest to medical or medical team.
In August 2023, just days after the closing ceremony of the tenth North American Indigenous Games (NAIG), Primary Contact sat down with Dr. Brian Seaman (Class of ‘82), the first chiropractor to hold the position of Chair of Medical Services for
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NAIG. The medical team supported over 5,200 accredited participants including 4,200 athletes and 100 coaches, managers, elders, and chaperones in Kjipuktuk1 (Halifax). These games were the largest multi-sport event ever held in
Atlantic Canada. Seaman’s team consisted of 200 experienced health care professionals and 75 support personnel who volunteered to staff a multi-disciplinary PolyClinic and 21 sport venues through a oneweek time frame. (In comparison, the 2011 Canada Games saw 3,200 athletes over a two-week time span.) To manage this feat, Seaman drew on his experience from four previous Olympics, a Pan-Am Games and as Chair of Medical Services for the 2011 Canada Games in Halifax. His commitment took him through 825 hours of volunteer work and 185 meetings. New to the games this year were the Brave Spaces, set up in locations around the city, including athlete accommodations. These were designed to support the mental health and cultural spirit of the athletes, many of whom were travelling from very small, rural or isolated communities, and who might have difficulty adjusting to a large city. Mental health support was flagged as crucial by the Chefs