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Much needed indigenous health program coming

$150,000 to establish culturally appropriate health and wellness programs
20161116 GuelphCHC ro
Guelph CHC will establish a new indigenous health and wellness program thanks to new funding. Rob O'Flanagan/GuelphToday

Guelph’s indigenous community is larger than some might assume, and that community has a need for culturally appropriate health services.

The Guelph Community Health Centre announced Wednesday that it will be establishing the Indigenous Health and Wellness Program in Guelph.

Funding in the amount of $150,000 has been secured from the Waterloo-Wellington Health Integration Network. A similar program is being established in Kitchener for local First Nations, M’etis, and Inuit community members.

The money for Guelph CHC will be used to hire an indigenous health promoter and establish a number of programs specifically designed for Guelph and Wellington County’s indigenous citizens.

The program will ensure a more cohesive and open health care system, one that meets the specific needs of the local indigenous population, according to Guelph CHC.

It will improve access to culturally appropriate services, and work to contribute to a broader awareness of indigenous people.

In an interview Wednesday morning, Kate Vsetula, community health manger for Guelph CHC, said the program will be launched this fall, and will be in collaboration with the local indigenous community, which will play a lead role in planning and delivering programs.

She said $50,000 will go to programming, and that could include bringing in visiting indigenous healers, hosting workshops and educational events, and possibly gatherings and ceremonies.

“These would all be lead by what the indigenous community is interested in,” Vsetula said. “What we’ve heard in our community is there often is a need to travel outside our of region to get the healing that feels like the best fit, because we don’t have a lot of resources in our community. So we are looking at bringing those resources in.”

Programs will blend Western medical practices and traditional healing, and will generally make health resources more accessible and acceptable to indigenous communities.

Vsetula said the program is bigger than just offering health and wellness services. It also encompasses issues of cultural competency and training for health service providers in our community.

“So, ensuring that we will have specialized health services for indigenous populations,” she said. “We should have services that don’t feel like you are walking through the wrong door.”

She said there has been a call to action nationally to get these services in place. Guelph CHC has been asking for it for a long time. The national response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has spurred broader action, and improved funding.

“With the new dollars that are being handed out both federally and provincially for specific targeted issues, we are able to move forward in an intentional way,” she added.

While there are no First Nations reserves within the region of the Waterloo-Wellington LHIN, the area has a higher population of indigenous people than most would assume, Vsetula said. That population needs these services.


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Rob O'Flanagan

About the Author: Rob O'Flanagan

Rob O’Flanagan has been a newspaper reporter, photojournalist and columnist for over twenty years. He has won numerous Ontario Newspaper Awards and a National Newspaper Award.
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