Indigenous-led health centre opens

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/09/2021 (1475 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Anishininew Minoyawigumik means “the people, wellness centre” in Anishinaabemowin, the language of the Anishinaabe nation.

The Anishininew Minoyawigumik Health and Healing Centre has opened at 1880 Ellice Ave. The people it will serve include members of the four Island Lake First Nations communities of Garden Hill, Red Sucker Lake, St. Theresa Point, and Wasagamack.

The Winnipeg-based health care provider Indigenous Canadian Medical Dispensaries and LifeSmart Health will be working in tandem with Four Arrows Regional Health authority to offer a footcare clinic, a children’s dental program that provides surgical services, diabetes care, physical therapy, and more.

It’s crucial for First Nations to have the authority to administer health care services directly to its members, said Alex McDougall, the executive director of Four Arrows Regional Health Authority.

McDougall sees the centre as a significant step towards bringing health care back into the hands of First Nations.

“We are taking the initiative to try and have those opportunities to be able to improve services,” he said. “We are hoping we can get the support of most provincial and federal governments to bring that to fruition.”

Timely pharmacy care is at the forefront of Anishininew Minoyawigumik’s mandate. The new west Winnipeg pharmacy is already drastically cutting down on the time it takes pharmacists to fill and ship prescriptions to remote communities.

“Under the current system they’re under, if a doctor requests a non-urgent medication, the people up there will wait seven to 10 days. With the new system with IcMD LifeSmart, they’ll have the medication in under three,” Christopher Henry, president of Indigenous Canadian Medical Dispensaries, explained.

Anishininew Minoyawigumik is located directly across the street from Perimeter Aviation, the company it will be working with to ship medications. Henry believes the clinic’s streamlined care and proximity to the airport will get people in front of a doctor, virtually or in person, more quickly.

This, he said, will give people the means to prioritize their health in communities where folks sometimes have to wait months to see a physician.

“Island Lakes has 15,000 members. Steinbach has 15,000 members. Island Lakes can’t walk into a doctor and see them every day, but Steinbach can. It is the first time that you’re really seeing a community take all of this under their own wing,” Henry said.

The health centre is still being used for rapid COVID-19 testing for First Nations members flying back into the health region. Anishininew Minoyawigumik is preparing to bring two general physicians into the centre once positive case counts drop province-wide.

Before this new partnership, a single pharmacy called Grand Medicine Health Services held the contract with northern Manitoba communities. IcMD and LifeSmart will be taking over several point-of-care nursing stations in the upcoming months, Henry said.

“Four Arrows is trailing that path forward and inviting other tribal regions to look at our model and come to the table at the request of our Grand Chief to see how we can work together to effectively build a First Nations health delivery structure,” McDougall said.