Indigenous Patients & Families

Land Acknowledgement

We acknowledge that we are on the ancestral, treaty and title lands of the Anishinaabe people in the Robinson Huron Treaty area. We recognize the neighbouring First Nations of Serpent River, Mississauga and Sagamok Anishinabek as well as the local Metis who occupied this land. It is with respect that we acknowledge we are all Treaty people, and we acknowledge the importance of our relationship with our Indigenous partners as we move forward together in reconciliation.

At SJGHEL, we recognize the diverse nature of our communities. Our Hospital actively seeks to create culturally safe and respectful spaces for our patients and families who identify as First Nations, Inuit, Métis and urban Indigenous. We are proud to provide services to the Indigenous members of our local communities and recently initiated a Wayfinding signage project to convert our external and internal directional signage to include English, French and Ojibway. At SJGHEL, we believe these type of initiatives recognize our cultural heritage and make our services more welcoming to the populations we serve.

We support our Indigenous patients and their families by:

• Providing assistance navigating the health care system.
• Helping co-ordinate services.
• Liaising with members of the Healthcare Team to ensure continuity of care.
• Assisting with access to language and translation services.
• Providing support during clinic visits and other appointments.
• We work with our Healthcare Team to provide support and education to ensure the delivery of culturally sensitive and safe care.
• We work with our Regional Partners to address system issues with the goal of improving the patient experience with care and access to services.