Healthcare access and equity will be enhanced for local Indigenous communities, thanks to the Ministry of Health.
On Wednesday, March 19 the Sarnia-Lambton Ontario Health Team announced an $850,000 investment.
The Locally Driven Population Health Models funding will support two full-time Indigenous Navigators at Bluewater Health's Emergency Department.
Executive Lead for the Sarnia-Lambton Ontario Health Team Nadine Neve said this will allow more support for Indigenous people.
"It's sometimes a scary time for people when they're at accessing the emergency department, so to have that cultural awareness there and just that support from those navigators, we felt was really important," she said.
The two new positions will be Monday to Sunday, 12 hours a day.
Neve said the positions have been recruited and will start on April 1.
She also said the Indigenous Navigators will also follow up with patients.
"If they've seen someone in the emergency room, following up in the community making sure if they suggested some kind of wrap around support, closing that loop ensuring that the individual got where they needed to go," Neve said.
The funding will also go towards additional programs and services.
"We've got some additional primary access through the mobile care bus attending Walpole Island First Nation now one day a week and then also some collaborative work with Twin Bridges Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic to support primary care access," Neve said.
Additionally, the investment will go towards traditional healing access, trauma-informed care training and a community symposium held Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Neve said each community has specific needs and it's important to provide the services and to build the relationships.
"I think a lot of this goes back to the work we've been doing and the Indigenous Communities Advisory Council and the leadership that the communities have shown in that partnership," she said.
The project is a collaborative effort designed to address healthcare disparities and ensure care is both accessible and culturally connected.
The funding is over three years and started in the 2024-2025 fiscal year.
Neve said the money also helps improve access to traditional healers.
"We've had a number of healers coming into the communities and supporting that with this funding as well," she said.
Sarnia- Lambton Ontario Health Team said the investment will allow to create a bridge between services in the communities and mainstream health care.