Indigenous Community

Central LHIN’s Integrated Health Service Plan 2016-2019 commits to collaborating and engaging with our local Indigenous population. Specifically, the LHIN’s Better Care for Underserved Communities strategy identifies working with the community, including Indigenous people, to promote holistic, cross-sectoral strategies to address social determinants of health in at-risk populations.

Central LHIN continues to work with the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, health service providers, the Provincial Aboriginal LHIN Network and off-reserve Indigenous communities – at the local and regional level – to identify and begin to address access barriers to health and healing services, build a trust-based relationship and improve health outcomes for Indigenous people in Central LHIN.

Working together with the Indigenous Population

Culturally Sensitive Health Care Services

In 2013/14, Addiction Services for York Region was funded to establish a community satellite model of care for a community opioid treatment clinic. All satellite sites provide culturally sensitive services, including those targeted at the Indigenous population living both on and off-reserve.

Indigenous Cultural Competency Training for Central LHIN Board and staff

In February 2014, Central LHIN Board and staff received training to create an empathetic environment; instill better communication; and assist in building trustworthy relationships between Indigenous populations, health service providers, health system planners and management.

Delivered by the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres, the training included a historical overview of Indigenous people in Ontario, historical markers and a cultural competency framework for addressing different levels of cultural competence.

Cultural Competency Training Project

In November 2013, Central and Toronto Central LHINs submitted a joint proposal (within a partnership including the Indigenous community) for one-time funding projects that address mental health and addictions issues among Indigenous people living off-reserve.

The proposal – focused on the provision of cultural competency training for hospital staff, with a goal to develop a core Indigenous cultural competency training module and approach that is suitable in Toronto, North York and York hospital environments – was selected for funding by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. In May/June 2014, a series of training sessions took place at St. Michael’s Hospital and North York General Hospital with approximately 167 hospital staff taking part.

Off-Reserve Indigenous Community Engagements

In February/March 2014, the Central LHIN invited off-reserve Indigenous communities to provide the LHIN with feedback on their health care experiences and identify system improvements and enhancements. Community engagements helped to identify common themes including a need for: Indigenous focused health service providers in York Region, improved access to preventive care services, system navigation, transportation, health information and patient advocacy.

Recognizing the need to engage in a culturally sensitive manner, Central LHIN engaged an Indigenous consultant to support engagements by identifying community stakeholders and sites as well as facilitating and evaluating engagement sessions.

The results of the engagement sessions and a web-based survey have been incorporated into Central LHIN’s Annual Business Plan for 2014/15.

Indigenous Health and Healing Services Providers Engagement Session

A workshop in December 2013 with Indigenous providers helped identify barriers to accessing health care programs and services for the Indigenous community, as well as services currently available and accessed by off-reserve Indigenous people. Read More.