On September 26th last year, representatives from the Northern Health Region, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakinak and Keewatinohk Inniniw Minoayawin signed a declaration to eliminate all forms of indigenous specific racism.

Bruce Krentz with the Northern Health Region provides details.

“We’ve acknowledged then that Indigenous specific racism exists and continues to be present within the Northern Health Region. What came out of that is we’ve spent the past year developing a policy around addressing Indigenous specific racism and we feel like that’s really one of the foundational steps that we can do to help make patients safer and to make our care better for all folks in Northern Manitoba.”

Krentz said this was one facet of patient safety that the NHR has addressed and that more information about the policy and processes will be announced soon.

To learn more about the advancement of First Nations, Inuit and Metis priorities for health care, go to healthcareexcellence.ca.

You’ll also find information about Canadian Patient Safety Week which runs October 23rd to 28th.