THUNDER BAY -- Regional hospital officials are working toward a level playing field between the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal population when it comes to culturally-sensitive care.
"I can assure you, the senior levels of management in the hospital, we are putting considerable effort into doing better and we have lots of staff here who genuinely want to help us do that and improve," Thunder Bay Regional Sciences Centre vice-president, Chisholm Pothier told a small crowd gathered outside to celebrate National Aboriginal Day.
"I look forward to the day when Aboriginal patients at the hospital, if they have a complaint, it's a complaint as a patient as opposed to as an Aboriginal patient."
In the final stage of its five-year strategic plan, hospital employees reflected on increased indigenous artwork, new pictograph signage and having hired an Aboriginal engagement lead.
"We have to reach out and provide better clinical services to the Aboriginal community, because there are some challenges there, things such as geography and the remoteness of the communities and language," Pothier said.
"Quite frankly, there's a legacy of colonialization that probably makes many Aboriginals less comfortable coming to a big institution in a city like Thunder Bay, out of their comfort zone. There are efforts we can make to make (the hospital) feel like theirs."
The Health Sciences Centre has also hired five patient navigators to work with clients in child and adolescent mental health, diabetes, cancer, renal services and most recently, in the emergency department.
"The biggest change I've seen so far is hiring Aboriginal people and some of the staff do speak our language," said Brenda Mason, who has been sitting on the hospital's 25-member Aboriginal Advisory Committee since the strategic plan was developed.
"So when someone comes here -- especially from up north -- if they only speak their language, there will be someone they can talk to and can translate for them."
Mason believes feedback from Aboriginal patients is reflecting that improvement. Over 60 per cent of employees have taken in some online training and cultural sensitivity sessions are offered regularly.
Mason said he can see the combination of more Aboriginal staff and better-trained non-Aboriginal staff beginning to bear the fruit of better care.
"We'd like to have all the staff at all levels have some sense of understanding and insight into who we are, especially when it comes to what we do for our own healing ways. We do have our own medicines as well. If we can continue to provide the education and awareness to the staff, our healing will probably increase."
The hospital's next five-year strategic plan will be released on June 30.
