New health clinic opens for Indigenous families in Montreal - Action News
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Indigenous

New health clinic opens for Indigenous families in Montreal

As a collaborative project launched between Native Montreal and the regional health authority, a new health clinic is open to Indigenous families in the city.

Clinic is integrated within Native Montreal, a friendship centre

One of two exam rooms in the clinic.
One of two exam rooms at Native Montreal's new family health clinic. It is open Monday to Friday at 3187 Saint-Jacques street in Montreal's Sud-Ouest neigbhourhood. (Rowan Kennedy/CBC)

A new health clinic in Montreal aims to provide culturally safe care for Indigenous families living in the city.

It's a collaborative project launched by Native Montreal, a friendship centre,in partnership with the regional health authority.

Philippe Meilleur, executive director of Native Montreal,said the clinic is starting out small with a doctor available twice a weekand two nurses on site to provide a range of front-line services toIndigenousfamilies, children, adults and seniors.

"Our job is to serve," said Meilleur, who is Kanien'keh:ka (Mohawk) from Kanesatake, northwest of Montreal.

"Right now, we're kicking off the model, the basics, and when more people will be signing up, our job is going to be to advocate, recruit and build the service."

Executive director shakes hands with two Quebec politicians outside of a red brick building where the clinic is located.
Native Montreal executive director Philippe Meilleur (right), Ian Lafrenire, minister responsible for relations with First Nations and Inuit, and Christian Dub, Quebec's health minister, during the clinic's opening event. (Native Montreal/Facebook)

The clinic, which is located on Saint-Jacques Street in Montreal's Sud-Ouest,has two exam rooms and three multi-purpose rooms including a cedar room that will be used for when patients want to see a traditional knowledge keeper.

Meilleur said since October the clinic hasbeen serving roughly 100 patients. The official opening took place on Friday with provincial ministers in attendance.

"We can't work in silos. We need to work together, and this is a strong message," said Ian Lafrenire, minister responsible for relations with First Nations and Inuit, during the event.

Val d'Or model

The clinic ismodelled after the Minow clinic, an integrated health centre that's a partnership between the Native Friendship Centre in Val d'Orand the public health authority of the Abitibi-Tmiscamingue region that has been replicated in urban settings across Quebec.

Native Montreal started its family clinic project in2021. It is funded through the Quebec government's I Have Hope initiative, which includes measures to support health and wellness projects in friendship centres based on the model developed in Val d'Or.

A cedar walled room with several comfy chairs.
The clinic's cedar room is a place where patients can access traditional healing care from knowledge keepers and elders. (Rowan Kennedy/CBC)

"I am very pleased with the inauguration of this clinic, which reflects our government's commitment to continuing its efforts to improve front-line care and culturally adapted service for Native citizens in urban areas, taking into account their specific needs," said Christian Dub, Quebec's health minister, in a release.

Health navigation support

One of those specific needs is the support ofhealth navigators.

"I think for everyone, the health system is really complicated," said Rachel Albert, a health navigator with the clinic.

A woman wearing a Mtis sash stands in the waiting room of Native Montreal's family health clinic.
Rachel Albert, who is Mtis, works as a health navigator at Native Montreal's family health clinic. (Rowan Kennedy/CBC)

"There's a lot of wait times and what not, but when you have Indigenous people thrown into the mix, there's a lot of racism that occurs."

For Albert, one biggest issues Indigenous people face while accessing public health services is trust, and she believes this new clinic will help build bonds between the health system and Indigenous population in Montreal. So far, she sees how it is working with her clients.

"There's patients who have come here completely super, superanxious, very worried and who have left smiling and have been like 'I've never had a doctor listen to me properly,'" she said.

With files from CBC Montreal's Rowan Kennedy