Chiefs press for changes at Kenora district hospital

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Leaders with Treaty 3 Grand Council say they are "frustrated" that suggestions to remedy health care concerns at Lake of the Woods District Hospital in Kenora are not being implemented. The council's Aboriginal constituents have been telling their leaders they lack confidence in the medical treatment they receive there.

Problems such as doctor shortages, transportation, waiting times to see a specialist, lack of modern diagnostic equipment and the health professionals to operate it are old news in northwestern Ontario, but the grand council says that even more basic concerns than these are not being met or understood by hospital authorities.

The chiefs say the tracking of Aboriginal data, mandatory cross-cultural training for all hospital employees, increased Aboriginal representation on the hospital board and an Aboriginal presence in emergency and translation services are requirements that are yet to be met.

These requirements "have been talked about and it's been agreed to, but as soon as you leave the meeting that's as far as it goes," said Treaty 3 Western Region Chief Adolphus Cameron.

Kelvin Morrison, chief of Nicickousemenecanning First Nation and the chief responsible for health in Treaty 3, said "over the years there has been anecdotal evidence that suggests that Aboriginal people cannot and do not get the same level of treatment, due in part to differences in language and culture. However, the problem is compounded (by) funding issues, treatment styles and a lack of Indian health professionals."

Cameron conceded that some efforts have been made by the hospital and local health care providers to improve things, but the grand council feels that Aboriginal people's needs should be prominent rather than peripheral to the whole question of how to provide adequate health care in tight times, especially since there is a large Aboriginal population in the Kenora region.

"Right now they [the hospital] have two seats in their board for Aboriginal people; one of them is vacant," Cameron said. "They also have a hostel (to house day patients from out-of-town and family members of in-patients at a cost of $20 per night), but that was through a co-operative effort with the First Nations communities."

He said the hospital also has one person providing cultural liaison between hospital staff and patients.

"When we talked to them, actually we had a pretty good meeting and we are having some follow-up meetings, but under our terms and outside of the hospital," said Cameron. "At our initial meeting we told them we needed to build partnerships from the First Nation communities and the town of Kenora."

The hospital chief of staff, the board and some staff members expressed a willingness to build such partnerships, but Cameron had to make an hour-and-a-half presentation "for them to understand exactly where we are coming from and what it is that we expect, and what it is that we can contribute, and what we meant by 'partnership.'"

Cameron said a meeting also was held on these topics with the mayor of Kenora about six weeks ago, and a follow-up meeting is planned with mayors of the region on Oct. 2. Cameron said there has been "a good response to the idea."

"It's not just token representation at a board or token programs in a hospital. Those things have to be meaningful, and those things have to be developed from the communities and those things have to be jointly accepted at the hospital, and it has to go both ways. Both of the cultural teachings."

Once everyone involved understands and accepts there are cultural differences that need to be incorporated into treatment of patients, relationship-building has begun, Cameron believes.

The executive director of the Kenora hospital, Mark Balcaen, was away the week Windspeaker contacted his office to discuss Native concerns. The associate director, identified as Mr. Blair by a secretary, did not respond to our request for an interview.