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Indigenous Patient Navigators are here to help patients and families

Indigenous Patient Navigators are here to help patients and families

Friday, December 9, 2022

Meet Maitland Lortie, Miranda Carey and Amy Duchesne – Indigenous Patient Navigators working with adult and pediatric patients at Health Sciences North as well as the Shirley and Jim Fielding Northeast Cancer Centre.

Focussed on Cancer Care, Inpatient Services and Pediatric Care, Indigenous Patient Navigators provide culturally-sensitive support to Indigenous patients and families along their healthcare journey.

“When I applied to the job, I really loved the idea of bringing together my experiences as a nurse with my Métis background. Often times we forget to take care of our spiritual selves when we are on a healthcare journey, and I’m happy I get to support patients with that.” – Maitland Lortie, Indigenous Patient Navigator, Health Sciences North.

At HSN, we are committed to being an active participant in addressing health equity gaps for Indigenous patients and families while building stronger relationships with the Indigenous communities we serve.

You can find out more about our commitment to social accountability here: https://yourhsn.ca/read-the-plan/#be-socially-accountable

You can find out more about patient navigators and the other services provided by the Indigenous Health Team at HSN on our website at https://hsnsudbury.ca/en/Services-and-Specialties/Indigenous-Health-Services.

Many of us at HSN also had the pleasure of working with Rose Jacko-Pitawanakwat, who was the Navigator for cancer care before she passed away in the fall of 2021.

Before she passed away Rose played a large role in developing the “Conversations about Cancer for Indigenous People” video series for patients and communities (https://hsnsudbury.ca/en/Services-and-Specialties/Cancer-Care/Cancer-Screening/Conversations-about-Cancer-for-Indigenous-People), including a video that explains how an Indigenous Patient Navigator provides support to patients and their families.

You can watch that video here in English, French, Ojibwe or Cree-

English https://youtu.be/9XAWFXHnNUw

French https://youtu.be/sYxmE7o-Y7I

Ojibwe https://youtu.be/DoQRFID6AP0

Cree https://youtu.be/z9zMMUWccGY

#besociallyaccountable

#drivingqualitydaily