New Indigenous community healing space planned for Children's Hospital in Winnipeg

When Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Arlen Dumas was a kid, he remembers his first hospital visit as a cold, lonely experience. Though the staff was friendly, it was still a scary experience being away from home.

Easing that fear of going to the hospital is one of the goals of a first-of-its-kind Indigenous community healing space that's being planned for the Children's Hospital of Winnipeg. 

Dumas says a new space that is warm, reminiscent of home, inclusive and reflective of Indigenous culture is significant to the Indigenous community, to ease feelings of fear in health-care settings.

Dr. Melanie Morris, Canada's first and only Métis pediatric surgeon is the lead on the project. She says it is crucial for the Indigenous community, especially after the discovery of 215 children's graves at the Kamloops residential school. 

"As Indigenous people right now, the sense of grief is very raw. There are over 130 known residential schools across Canada, but the precise number of graves is unknown. We owe it to the survivors and most of all, we must honour the spirits of these children, to see this incredible project through reconciliation."

According to the Children's Hospital Foundation, 50 per cent of kids treated at HSC Children's are Indigenous, many from remote and northern communities. In Manitoba, Indigenous children are three to five times more likely to be affected by several diseases or other conditions. The incidence and prevalence of diseases such as diabetes, circulatory and respiratory diseases and some cancers are increasing in Indigenous children to a greater extent than non-Indigenous children. These diseases require long-term care with specialist teams, which often means visiting the hospital for years.

Morris says the space is in planning stages with an Indigenous-led team, including doctors, designers, community partners and leaders. 

The 2,000-square-foot space includes a balcony where Morris says they hope to practise gardening. Featured inside is a central circle of ceremony, which is the foundation of a holistic view of healing. Around this circle will be toys, books, designs and games, whose ideas will be influenced by patients themselves.

There will also be a kitchen to cook and store medicines, as well as a "book nook" corner where books will be available in Indigenous languages. The space will feature a large digital screen so kids in isolation have access to elders or anyone who cannot travel to provide essential Indigenous services. 

So far, the Winnipeg foundation, CIBC, and Wawanesa Insurance have raised half of the project's campaign goal of $500,000. 

Leona Starr, the director of research for the First Nations Health and Social Secretariat of Manitoba, says the new space is critical for the community. She points to a joint study in December 2020, called 'Our Children, Our Future: The Health and Well-Being of First Nations Children in Manitoba,' which demonstrated inequities in every aspect of First Nations children's lives.

"The HSC healing space is a positive step forward in ensuring safe and equitable care that supports the well-being of our children," Starr said.

Project supported by female leaders

Rebecca Chartrand, chair of the Indigenous Advisory Circle and the Children's Hospital Foundation, notes the role of women in the project, which is supported mostly by female leaders, including a grandmother's circle of prominent elders. 

"When we look at the larger context we know this region really is ground zero for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, so to see women coming together in this way is healing and sends a powerful message," she said.

Stefano Grande, president and CEO of the Children's Hospital Foundation, notes Indigenous awareness continues with blanket ceremonies, workshops about Jordan's principle and anti-racism training for staff.

"The journey of reconciliation is deeply entrenched throughout our entire staff and board. Our donor communities are very much interested in supporting the highest needs of the hospital in this area, it is just the beginning," says Grande. 

Morris is hopeful for the healing space.

"The bigger picture sends a powerful signal of corrective change. To honour all of the little feet that have walked these lands for thousands of years."

Fundraising is ongoing through the Children's Hospital Foundation.