Public Health Sudbury and Districts celebrated the launch of its first ever Indigenous engagement strategy entitled "Finding Our Path Together" on Oct. 18.
Thursday's event marked an important step in the organization's goal of health equity by bringing Indigenous people to the table to engage in the conversation about providing the best possible health outcomes for all Greater Sudbury and district residents.
The mission is one that is simple, yet complex, and aims to bring PHSD and Indigenous communities together to work collaboratively to strengthen public health services.
While Thursday's event was being formally called a launch, PHSD CEO Dr. Penny Sutcliffe explained that the event was less a destination than it was part of a journey that still has a way to go.
"Working with Indigenous community partners to develop a strategy has been a rewarding learning journey for me, personally and for our organization," said Sutcliffe. "I'm extremely excited and a bit intimidated by the next steps as we roll up our sleeves to continue this journey together."
The PHSD strategy is built around four strategic directions and associated actions, including:
1) Inform work through Indigenous community voices and information
2) Engage in meaningful relationships to support Indigenous community well-being
3) Strengthen capacity for a culturally competent workforce
4) Advocate and partner to improve health
In order to move forward on this strategy, Public Health Sudbury and Districts will develop new internal and external committee structures to guide and support the implementation of the strategy and develop an implementation plan for the strategy.
Additionally, the PHSD will be ensuring routine and structured reporting mechanisms for senior management and the board of health, as well as ensuring the means by which the board receives Indigenous health knowledge is appropriate to its governance role.
Indigenous communities as well as the board of health will be updated regularly, along with staff and community partners as to the progress being made, and all information will be made publicly available.
"I'm thrilled to launch this strategy today, our board of health is committed to improving health equity through our service area, however we do recognize that there are Indigenous social determinants of health that have an additional impact on opportunities for health and well-being," said René Lapierre, chair of the PHSD board.
"Indigenous communities and peoples are uniquely affected by legal and constitutional issues, these are complex histories and shared experiences of colonization and racism that have contributed to poorer health outcomes as compared to other Ontarians. There are also remarkable strengths throughout communities. Indigenous peoples and communities are mobilizing to reclaim health and well-being, to assert self-determination aims and to revitalize cultural community strengths and resiliency."
Public Health Sudbury and Districts welcomed University of Winnipeg Associate Vice President of Indigenous Studies Kevin Lamoureux to the launch, and he was also a guest speak for a special engagement Thursday evening at Laurentian University's Indigenous Sharing and Learning Centre.
Lamoureux spoke highly of the work being done in Sudbury, and that PHSD is very much at the forefront of building stronger and healthier communities through collaborative efforts.
"What the folks in this community have done in partnership with their First Nations allies, their brothers and sisters, is walk with with humility and create a document that has no assumptions about the future, that's a very different way of doing business and I think that's beautiful. I just want to say thank you for modelling for the rest of Canada what reconciliation might look like," said Lamoureux.
"I want to carry the message that is being shared here to the rest of Canada and show them what is possible when we walk hand in hand."
