Urban Indigenous Health Alliance
The Ottawa Indigenous Health Alliance is made up of Indigenous service organizations and the health institutions including local hospitals and health clinics. The Alliance works to increase the capacity of the Ottawa health institutions to provide inter-culturally competent services for Indigenous community members.
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Elements of Indigenous Model of Care
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• A focus on prevention and promotion (requires a realignment in the system).
• The community member is the lead in how they address their health concerns and we strengthen their will to stay healthy and in balance in their life. They “own” their care plan.
• We practice informed choice instead of making decisions for others.
• We recognize that community members are dealing with multiple issues at the same time and so we would use a wholistic model that simultaneously considers the four directions of health: mental, emotional, physical and spiritual.
• There are multiple people supporting the community member.
• There are collaborative relationships between health institutions and community services as the community member is supported in their life journey (health services, community services, managing of conditions, exercise, diet, mental health factors)
• A recognition that people maintain their own health when they have a strong sense of healthy identity and a sense of belonging to the community so that they can access services and programs they need. If a person experiences shame they are not motivated to access any services.
• A recognition that historical colonization policies and institutional cultures have built in practices that reinforce shame relationships.
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To view a presentation of this report, click here. Ottawa Urban Indigenous Health Alliance – February 2017
Urban Indigenous Health Alliance Current Membership :
Projects from 2017
In February of 2017, the results of the needs assessment was presented at the Community Forum. To view a presentation of this report, click here. Ottawa Urban Indigenous Health Alliance – February 2017
In response to the needs assessment an alliance of Indigenous and non-Indigenous health partners was formed. Using 1-time funding secured from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care by Ottawa Public Health, several actions to improve Indigenous cultural safety have been initiated:
Catalyst Research and Communications conducted a survey of Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations to determine the extent to which Indigenous cultural safety training (ICST) is available and accessed by health service providers in Ottawa. Results showed a strong local commitment, a wide variety of learning opportunities, and the need for resources that specifically promote Indigenous-focused anti-racism.
Three videos for health practitioners:
1.Akusiviak Inuit Family Health Team and Ottawa Inuit Children's Centre co-produced an educational video for health care professionals aimed at improving health outcomes for Inuit in the Champlain region by highlighting the necessary qualities of culturally safe health care services and settings.
2.The Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) committed to producing a video on wise practices and culturally safe approaches when engaging with Métis peoples.
3. Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health has created a short video that capture the negative stereotypes, racism and discrimination experienced by First Nations, Inuit and Métis community members in Ottawa, as well as the personal and professional story of Dr. Thomas Dignan, an Indigenous physician. These learning resources will be integrated into Wabano’s current cultural safety training modules.
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Ottawa Inuit Children’s Centre (OICC) organized bus tour that took 33 mainstream health service providers, managers and Board of Health members, to several local First Nation, Inuit and Métis agencies. The evaluations from the event indicated that the tour was a big success – e.g., participants left with a much better understanding of the community, the available services and culturally-appropriate resources, referral process, and practices that promote cultural safety.
Projects 2018
Sharing Our Stories
The OAC and Wabano decided to combine their work and undertake a joint research project, through an integrated research team, with the following scope:
Sample
•First Nation, Inuit and Métis (FNIM) community members.
•Parents of FNIM children who experienced indigenous specific racism and/or discrimination in health care.
•Staff and clients of Indigenous organizations.
•FNIM not serviced by Indigenous organizations
B. Health Care System – Champlain LHIN
•Ottawa, Renfrew and Cornwall.
•Hospitals, Community Health Centres, Mental Health and Addiction Services, Community Support Services.
The research project ‘Sharing Our Stories’ with two purposes:
•Collect baseline data on health care practices in the region,
•Use real stories as learning moments in training for health care personnel.
Work proceeded over the course of the year, and 178 stories were collected from First Nation, Inuit and Métis community members, by research assistants who were Wabano staff and trained to undertake the interviews. The study was promoted through Indigenous organizations in Ottawa, as well as community partners such as community health centres, homeless drop-in centres and Larga Baffin, and also reached out to Akwesasne and Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation. Stories collected were 70% First Nations, 7% First Nations non-status, 18% Inuit and 5% Métis.
Projects 2019
There are two primary projects in 2019:
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InEquity Framework
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Contributing to the “Planning from an Indigenous Lens” Symposium.
Needs Assessment:
Many First Nations, Inuit and Métis people in Ottawa face significant health challenges. Through conversations over a period of time among leaders of Indigenous services and Ottawa health organizations, notably between Allison Fisher of Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health and Dr. Vera Etches of Ottawa Public Health, the idea for an urban Indigenous Health Alliance for Ottawa arose. Several Indigenous health service organizations and Ottawa-based hospitals and health agencies were interested in seeing what more can be done through a joint strategy that unites people from across organizations to make a difference for Indigenous health at the system level.
In 2016 a Needs Assessment was done which identified some of the key elements of an Indigenous Model of Care:
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A focus on prevention and promotion (requires a realignment in the system).
-
The community member is the lead in how they address their health concerns and we strengthen their will to stay healthy and in balance in their life. They “own” their care plan.
-
We practice informed choice instead of making decisions for others.
-
We recognize that community members are dealing with multiple issues at the same time and so we would use a wholistic model that simultaneously considers the four directions of health: mental, emotional, physical and spiritual.
-
There are multiple people supporting the community member.
-
There are collaborative relationships between health institutions and community services as the community member is supported in their life journey (health services, community services, managing of conditions, exercise, diet, mental health factors)
-
A recognition that people maintain their own health when they have a strong sense of healthy identity and a sense of belonging to the community so that they can access services and programs they need. If a person experiences shame they are not motivated to access any services.