How is an indigenous health center welcoming more in Montreal
As Sherly Pian-Bearbe runs through the Hall of the Ki Swadeshi Health Center, she stops to indicate all the methods of the Montreal-based clinic since she was opened in 2023.
“Our services have expanded a lot,” he said. “We have a diabetic foot-care clinic, we have an optometry clinic, physiotherapy, mental health, clinical psychological, addicted worker, a spiritual healler.”
Inside the main entrance, a table is installed with sage and sweetgrass. Patients are invited to smoke or they make their own drug bundles. Care is offered here in many indigenous languages, including inkitit and cree.
Pien-Bérubé serves as a health sailor, advocating for them with patients and within the health care system. She says that it is one of the services provided here.
The clinic aims to shut down intervals in health results for indigenous patients, which was one of the 94 calls for the action of the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). Employees of the clinic also work to remove deep root mistrust in the health care system. data Recent statistics from Canada Survey Compared to the previous year, one of the five indigenous people who experienced improper treatment, racism or discrimination from a health care professional were found.
Pien-Berube says that his clinic patients can be safe and understood.
“They are being heard in the end – after how many centuries? We are finally heard,” he said.
A new indigenous-centric Montreal Clinic has already quadrupled its number of patients since last year, but experts say that the truth and reconciliation commission has to go a long way to address the interval in health care identified a decade ago in the 94 call to action of the Commission.
10 years later for TRC action
It has been 10 years since the truth and reconciliation commission, which saw it to document the impact of residential schools, released it final reportIn this, the Commissioners “pointed to disturb the intervals in health results between tribal and non-tribal Canadian people.”
These include inequalities in infant mortality, diabetes and suicide rates.
Seven of TRC’s 94 call to action To focus on health, identify the value of funding and indigenous treatment practices for existing and new indigenous treatment centers, including a call to identify and close the gaps in health results.
Feg Virginia Desjarlis, The Family Violence Prevention Co-ordinator of the Indigenous Health Center of Tia-Tia: Kei, says the clinic is a sign that some progress has been made.
He said, “There were gaps in the health system to understand the needs of indigenous people living in Montreal.” “People didn’t feel safe. Many advocates, elderly and various organizations came together, to say that we need to do something.” ,
Deszarlis says that hospitals and other health care settings may be uncontrolled for many indigenous people. He has seen that patients have to face discrimination and racism, and he himself has lived with a family doctor.
“I am diabetes and I was explaining that I am not feeling well,” she said, when she described her symptoms, the doctor replied that when people feel like this, “this is because you are drinking.”
She says that the doctor left her as a patient as she missed the same appointment.
“I can’t believe it,” Desjarlais said.
Improves access to health care
According to the website, the indigenous watchdog, which tracks the progress on the call for action, while four of the seven -related calls are in progress, three have stopped, and no one is fulfilled.
The publisher of the site, Douglas Cinclair, says that the calls of identifying and closing around the health results have stopped in the part due to lack of access to government data.
Sinklair said, “There is no political desire across the country like coordinated activities to identify and provide it.”
“If you are working in a vacuum then you cannot develop a policy.”
Federal government tracks its response to recommendations On your websiteThis includes Health inequalities data equipment Users are available and “available to understand the size of inequalities in social determinants of health and health results.”
Sinklair says that it is not enough where progress has been made. He says that access to health care is a major issue for many communities.
Building Treatment Center in North
In Iqaluit, in Nunnavut, a addictive and trauma treatment center called Aqqusariaq is currently under construction, which will allow people to obtain culturally based treatment in the area, rather than traveling to the south.
“To travel south to participate in treatment and care, you are being removed from your language and culture,” Kylie Eglukk said, Program Director with Vyasson and Trauma in Nunavut Tunagavik, a treaty organization that represents Inute in Nunavut.
“I hope that once it has happened and is going on that we have the opportunity to create a center in each area of Nunavut,” he said.
In addition, the aglukark wants to construct an inute workforce for the center and other services and establish more treatment centers in more communities.
“It is very important to lead to Inute and has the opportunity to provide services in inukettut,” he said.
Academic lead with the National Cooperation Center for indigenous health, Dr. Terry Aldred says that the progress on the call for action around health has been “medium”.
While he is influenced by the new indigenous health clinics and treatment centers in Montreal and Equalit, which “lies in our way of knowing and being,” Aldred says that such projects must be extended to meet the need. She says that she also needs durable, long -term money.
“Indigenous people who are able to reach those services will start making a different relationship with reaching health care,” he said. “And we will be able to create confidence with those providers, and we will have a positive wave effect.
