Simcoe.com: Improvements are being promised when it comes to the quality of health care available to the local Indigenous community.

Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) has entered into a formal relationship with the Indigenous Health Circle, through the Barrie Area Native Advisory Circle (BANAC), to identify gaps in local health services and establish measurable goals to improve services offered to Indigenous, Métis and Inuit residents.

“We pledge to work towards equality, while serving all patients with respect, compassion, understanding and empathy without prejudice or racism,” said Gail Hunt, former president and chief administrative officer. 

In signing this agreement, GBGH and the Indigenous Health Circle have made a commitment to work together to identify common priorities and issues, resolve key challenges and impasses, improve the quality and availability of health data at the regional level for First Nations, Métis and Inuit people, and uphold First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples’ right to self-govern.

“Improving relationships with GBGH’s Indigenous partners is an ongoing journey,” added Hunt, who resigned from her role effective June 23. “It is a journey that involves effort and open-mindedness … embracing diversity, fostering inclusivity and increasing our awareness of the unique opportunities that come with forming stronger partnerships with Indigenous organizations.”

The two sides have agreed to meet twice annually to build their relationship and work toward improving and advancing health care for Indigenous peoples in the community.

“This is important work for our hospital given the significant and unique Indigenous populations GBGH serves,” said Matthew Lawson, GBGH’s interim president and CAO. “I assure you that GBGH will move forward in the spirit of respect and inclusiveness based on stronger, more productive and culturally safe relationships with Indigenous health partners.”https://6cb37d739e406411b37aaddc1c2e3410.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

Germaine Elliott, executive director of the Indigenous Health Circle, signed the agreement alongside Lawson on June 21 – National Indigenous Peoples Day. She said she is looking forward to working with GBGH officials to improve health care for all. “The issues for indigenous communities with regard to health are many, and inter-generational, and it will take a lot of good collaborative work to make the changes we need,” said Elliott.

She reminisced about a time when Indigenous communities were healthier, and knew how to use their own medicines, build their own houses, plant gardens, hunt and fish. 

“I know we can bring that back to our community. It happens when Indigenous people are involved in making our own decisions and signing our own plans and strategies and bringing them forward,” said Elliott.

“The road to recovery for our communities must be Indigenous-led and must be Indigenous-governed. We are happy to enter into a letter of relationship with GBGH to work with them, side by side, to create the changes that are needed in an acute-care setting and to make sure there is equitable access to services and treatment and traditional healing when it is needed.”