Media Advisory - Health Council report points to inadequate health care services for Aboriginal people living in major Canadian cities

TORONTO, Dec. 4, 2012 /CNW/ -

What:  Current mainstream health care services are not accommodating First Nations, Inuit and Metis people living in urban centres. Mainstream health care services are unwelcoming and in many cases threatening to Aboriginal people. Fear of racial stereotyping and lack of respect for traditional ways of healing, turns many Aboriginal people away from seeking care.

The Health Council of Canada's latest report, Empathy, dignity, and respect: Creating cultural safety for Aboriginal people in urban health care highlights the issues and shares examples of practices that are designed with the values and experiences of Aboriginal people in mind.

Find out about the programs that are advancing positive change. Join the Health Council of Canada on December 11, 2012 in Winnipeg to see firsthand how one program - the Aboriginal Patient Navigator Program in Portage la Prairie - is making a real difference in the way Aboriginal people interact with health care services in urban settings.

When:	December 11, 2012
	10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. (CT)
	10:00 a.m.	Welcome and introductions by Dr. Catherine Cook
	10:05 a.m.	Opening Prayer
	10:15 a.m.	Remarks by Dr. Catherine Cook and Kathy McPhail
	10:35 a.m.	Premiere screening of Making health care delivery culturally safe for Aboriginal people in urban centres
	10:40 a.m.	Thank you and Q&A with John G. Abbott
	11:00 a.m.	Closing Prayer
Where:	John Buhler Research Centre Atrium
	Bannatyne Campus, University of Manitoba
	501C-715 McDermot Ave.
	Winnipeg, MB
Who:	Kathy McPhail, CEO, Southern Regional Health Authority, MB
	Dr. Catherine Cook, Councillor, Health Council of Canada
	John G. Abbott, CEO, Health Council of Canada
Interview opportunities will be available following the event.

About the Health Council of Canada
Created by the 2003 First Ministers' Accord on Health Care Renewal, the Health Council of Canada is an independent national agency that reports on the progress of health care renewal. The Council provides a system-wide perspective on health care reform in Canada, and disseminates information on best practices and innovation across the country. The Councillors are appointed by the participating provincial and territorial governments and the Government of Canada.

To read the report, Empathy, dignity, and respect: Creating cultural safety for Aboriginal peoples in urban health care, visit: www.healthcouncilcanada.ca.

 

 

 

SOURCE: Health Council of Canada

For more information or to arrange an interview please contact:
Yeena Peng, Manager, Media Relations, Health Council of Canada
[email protected], O: 416-480-7100, C: 416-407-2635