This nurse is bridging the gap between London’s hospital system and its black patients
listen to this article
estimated 3 minutes
The audio version of this article has been generated by AI-based technology. There may be incorrect pronunciations. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve results.
For Suishani Brooks, helping black patients navigate London’s healthcare system is more than a service. This is a necessity.
“I want the best for my patients,” Brooks said. “This is a pathway that not only helps in the present, but ensures they will have the confidence and trust to advocate for themselves in the future.”
Navigating the hospital system can be intimidating for some people. In her role as Black Health Navigator, Suishani Brooks helps Black patients as they receive care at London Health Sciences Center.
Brooks is a Black Health Navigator for the London Health Sciences Center (LHSC). Originally from Jamaica and trained as a practical nurse, she acts as a guide to black patients as they receive treatment in London’s hospital system.
Brooks said she sees her role as bridging the communication gap that develops between these patients and their healthcare providers.
“Sometimes there are differences in language and culture, and sometimes everyone you interact with here thinks about it differently,” he said.
Brooks said that for some older patients, not adding something as simple as ‘Miss’ or ‘Mister’ before their first name can be interpreted as a sign of disrespect, even if that’s not the staff’s intention.
afternoon drive7:18Meet the Black health navigators who help guide patients at the London Health Sciences Center
For people of color, going to the doctor for help can be a scary thing. Suishani Brooks is the Black Health Navigator at London’s Victoria Hospital, helping to improve the experiences of people of color accessing health care.
“It’s something that we forget here in the health care system, and we just say their first name because that’s the norm,” he said. “That in itself can be devastating to trust.”
Brooks said interacting with staff in these situations really helps both staff and patients feel comfortable.
trust is a necessity
Maintaining trust with patients is a key focus for LHSC’s diversity and inclusion team.
Kathy Wood is LHSC’s Black Health Lead. She was part of a feedback session with black residents in London in 2025 about the city’s healthcare system.
In their responses, participants said they are not taken seriously when it comes to pain management, and as a result they feel they are undermedicated. They also felt that they were not included in the creation of their care plans and that there was a lack of cultural humility when it came to communication therapy.
Wood said such experiences may reduce a patient’s willingness to seek health care in the first place, and if patients do come to appointments, the damaged trust will make them less likely to adhere to recommended treatment.
“This makes them harder to treat,” she said. “Their treatment takes longer, and then the results are not as good as they could have been if they had been a little more proactive.”
Wood said the sailor position was created as a direct result of that feedback.
“The navigator is able to make connections that can make the patient’s voice heard in what is sometimes a very high-speed system,” he said.
still have more work to do
Both Wood and Brooks acknowledged that much more work needed to be done to reduce the barriers that exist for black patients, particularly sickle cell patients, and to improve mental health services in London’s hospital network.
Despite the ongoing work, Brooks said he has already noticed a gap in the navigator role.
“Just for them to see me, to see someone who looks like them, it’s a sigh of relief for them,” she said.
