Photo: Dr. Amy Montour, Christina Ingram, and Leigh Staats, of the Brantford General Hospital's Indigenous Health Services department. Ian Maracle | CBC.
When Cheryl Miller spent eight days at the Brantford General Hospital near her home in Six Nations, Canada,a surprise visit made her stay so much better. Leigh Staats, the hospital's new Indigenous patient navigator, explained what was going on with her health, answered her questions, and told her about the Indigenous Family Space that she could visit to conduct a sacred ritual if she wanted to. Before she was discharged, Staats offered to call her family, help her with paperwork, and gave her a business card with her contact information in case she had any questions after returning home. The Indigenous Health Services department, launched in September 2020, is one of only a few similar hospital programs in Canada. It aims to provide better, more culturally safe care to the First Nations, Metis and Inuit patients, offering access to traditional plant medicines and ceremonies, an Indigenous Family Space and a more community-based environment for Indigenous patients.
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