Indigenous Services User Group Helping Shape New Hospital
3-3-2023
TOGETHER WE BUILD: Discussion at Indigenous Services User Group meetings have included an opportunity to discuss future and current services for Indigenous patients and visitors at WRH.
TOGETHER WE BUILD: Discussion at Indigenous Services User Group meetings have included an opportunity to discuss future and current services for Indigenous patients and visitors at WRH.
Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH) is working with Indigenous partners in Southwestern Ontario to make sure the new acute care hospital is a welcoming place for Indigenous patients and visitors.
Last spring, WRH President and CEO David Musyj, and the Project Management Team for the new hospital, met with the London District Chiefs Council - an association of First Nation (FN) governments in Southwestern Ontario - to talk about plans for the New Windsor/Essex Acute Care Hospital and invite the communities to participate in the planning process.
At a virtual meeting, the Chiefs agreed to identify a representative from each FN Community to sit on the Indigenous Services User Group for the new hospital.
The Indigenous Services User Group - which also includes representatives from the Can Am Indian Friendship Centre, The Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre (SOAHAC) and WRH - is one of 40 planning teams representing different clinical and non-clinical programs and services in the new hospital planning.
With the help of Agnew Peckham Health Care Planning Consultants and Stantec Architecture, the group is responsible for planning Indigenous Services spaces in the new hospital including an Indigenous healing space and consultation rooms. What quickly became apparent during the group's first meeting was that in order to get things right in the new hospital, the conversation also had to look at addressing more immediate barriers to Indigenous access to healthcare services at the hospital.
"Indigenous Services is not just about making a room and a setting for Indigenous people, it's also about creating equitable service," noted one community representative during the first User Group meeting. Group members shared stories about stigma and racism they or their family members have experienced in healthcare settings and said as a result, there is a general reluctance to access services.
Jonathan Foster, VP Emergency, Trauma, Mental Health, Renal, and the Regional Cancer Program says having the opportunity for open and honest conversation has been invaluable and will help inform future planning as well as day-to-day decision-making at WRH. "It's been well-documented that Indigenous and First Nations people have not always been well served in hospitals," he said. "These Indigenous Services Group meetings have led to critical discussions about the ways WRH can improve care and create a safe and culturally appropriate environment for Indigenous patients and their families."
Sarah Mushtaq, Director of Equity, Inclusion, Diversity, and Anti-Racism at the hospital is also a member of the User Group and says part of her role is to ensure the conversations taking place at the User Group are captured in the plan for a new hospital."We are so fortunate to have each member of this User Group at the table sharing their input and perspectives. It is our responsibility to find a way to incorporate their suggestions," she said. "I hope when members of this group walk into the new hospital they see the impact they have had and are proud of the work and the role they played."
On January 18, WRH had another opportunity to appear before the London District Chief's Council to provide an update on the planning process and accomplishments of the Indigenous Services User Group.
CEO David Musyj thanked the Chiefs and User Group members for their commitment to this project.
INDIGENOUS SERVICES USER GROUP MEMBERS
The Indigenous Services User Group is made up of Windsor Regional Hospital and Erie St. Clair Regional Cancer Centre staff and community members. Included in the group is Louise Cervini, a member of Caldwell First Nation, and the Regional Indigenous Patient Navigator as well as, Shannon White, a member of Oneida Nation of the Thames, and the Regional Indigenous Project and Patient Education Coordinator.
Community members include:
- Sara Plain, Aamjiwnaang First Nation
- Kyla DM Stone ish, Bkejwanong First Nation
- Jo-D Schiefer, Caldwell First Nation
- Stacy Timothy, Eelunaapeewi Lahkeewiit-Wulamaliswiikaan
- Doug George, Kettle and Stony Point First Nation
- Sheila Jaggard, Chippewas of the Thames First Nation
- Barb Racz (interim), Munsee Delaware First Nation
- Pam Tobin and Gloria Brown, Oneida Nation of the Thames
- Laura Meloche, SOAHAC (Southwest Ontario Aboriginal Health Access Centre) and Oneida Nation of the Thames member
- TBD, Can-Am Indian Friendship Centre