Indigenous Self-Identification

All patients registered at Lake of the Woods District Hospital are asked if they would like to Self-Identify as Anishinaabe or Indigenous. 

Why Self-Identify?

Everyone’s health is important. To better serve the Indigenous population in Northwestern Ontario, we have developed the self-identification process to better understand who our patients are and how we can do things differently. The goals of this process are:

• To enrich the patient experience, improve health services, and identify areas of need in the health care system
• To provide data to measure the effectiveness of health care
• To improve the quality of care for Indigenous patients

Who can self-identify?

All people with Indigenous ancestry are encouraged to self-identify. Indigenous identity is defined in the Canadian Constitution Act (1982), S. 35 (2).  Indigenous refers to Canada’s original people and includes:

Status: the legal status of a person who is registered as an Indian under the Indian Act.

Non-Status: refers to people who identify as Indians but who are not entitled to Indian Registration under the Indian Act.

Métis: people of mixed Indigenous and Euro-American ancestry.

Inuit: refers to Canada’s original people whose homeland is the Canadian Arctic that includes portions of the three Territories: Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, in addition to Northern Quebec and Northern Labrador.

What happens to this information?

This information is kept in your electronic medical record and accessible to your health care team providing you with care. Lake of the Woods District Hospital manages personal health information in accordance with the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) and all information is kept completely confidential.

How do I self-identify?

There are three ways to self-identify as indigenous at LWDH.

1. You can identify when you are asked at registration in the hospital.
2. You can complete the survey available on the kiosks at the main entrances to the hospital.
3. You can complete the online survey here:

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=z6INjaIDcUOD0qjpujIUgi-7UPqu3qdMqCAg3il0wQlUREk2VDVZVzlQTUVWUk9RSDNZVFVCSVpOMC4u

After you have answered the question once you will not be asked again and the information will be kept on your record, available for the staff providing you with care.

MAMOO'KANDAA OSHKI AAKOZIIWIGAMIG: Working Together for our New Hospital

Lake of the Woods District Hospital and Ogimaawabiitong Kenora Chiefs Advisory have been working in partnership to foster relationships and to improve patient experiences. The result of this work is a blossoming Indigenous Patient Relations
Department in our proposed new hospital plans AND in our current hospital.

Client Navigation
Our Client Navigators support patients during their hospital stay with:
  • Accessing Traditional healing
  • Translation
  • Transportation
  • Referral to in-community programs (Ex: Mental Health, Palliative Care)
  • Navigating the Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) system
  • General navigation through the healthcare system
  • Post-discharge follow up

Mental Health Therapist in the Emergency Department
The Emergency Mental Health Therapist / Social Worker provides wholistic, culturally safe and trauma-informed therapeutic intervention and care coordination to First Nation patients who visit the ER.  Patients and their families are connected with community services to ensure continuity of care following admission or discharge. 

Cultural Services
A Cultural Services Manager is in place at LWDH to embed Anishinaabe culture and practices in the hospital.  This involves:
  • Ensuring cultural protocols are met
  • Supporting cultural awareness, cultural safety and regional orientation and education to all staff
  • Coordinating cultural events
  • Promoting both traditional and mainstream approaches to healing and helping clients
  • Smudging is available in the hospital for anyone wishing, the Ojibwe Healing Room is located on the 3rd floor

Indigenous Advisory Council
The Indigenous Advisory Council (IAC) was formed in 2022 and membership is made up of LWDH, KCA, and Waasegiizhig Nanaandawe’iyewigamig (WNHAC), community representatives and an LWDH staff rep.  Participants  discuss hospital program and service enhancements considering with a wholistic, culturally safe lens.  The Council meets consistently and at each meeting, there are two standing agenda items - a traditional teaching and a presentation from the hospital (another important purpose of the Council is for participants to become hospital knowledge keepers). 


Donna Namaypoke
KCA Cultural Services Manager
807-468-9861, ext. 2544
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Client Navigators
807-468-9861, ext. 2544 or ext. 2250

Emergency Department Social Worker
807-468-9861, ext. 251

pdf Calls to Action: Focused on Health

pdf IPRD Brochure

pdf LWDH Indigenous Advisory Council TOR 08-18-23

Caring for your information Your health information and your privacy right

Lake of the Woods District Hospital (LWDH) understands the sensitivity of your personal health information (PHI) and is committed to protecting your privacy

When receiving health care and services from LWDH, we will collect, use and share personal health information to:

• Identify and keep in contact with you about your health care

• Provide ongoing health care

• Support the provision of health care by health care partners

• Help us plan, monitor and improve our care and services to you

• Support billing to medical services where relevant

• Analyze, manage and control disease outbreaks and monitor the overall health of people

• And as required by law (e.g., court order, reportable conditions)

• Understand your eligibility for benefits and services LWDH will keep PHI only as long as reasonably required and only release information for purposes not listed here in accordance with the Personal Health Information Protection Act 'PHIPA'and other applicable legislation.

Understanding Implied Consent

By receiving health care services at LWDH, we have your implied consent for information to be shared as required with those within your "circle of care" for the purpose of your ongoing care and/or treatment (e.g., other care providers, specialist, lab technologists, etc.) unless you tell us otherwise. Our staff understand and are committed to protecting your sensitive information.

Understanding Express Consent

Express consent (verbal or written) will be obtained if/when we are collecting, using, and disclosing personal information outside of the "circle of care", or for secondary purposes out of those listed above (e.g., research, teaching/education).

Your Rights You have the right to:

• Ask to see and get a copy of your health record

• Ask us to correct information in your record that is inaccurate or incomplete

• Ask us not to collect, use or share your health information for health care purposes Contact us if you would like to:

• Ask about how to exercise your privacy rights

• Request access to or correction of your health record

• Make a complaint For more information: LWDH Privacy Officer This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (807) 468-9861 Ext. 2282

You have a right to file complaint with the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 1-800-387-0073 www.ipc.on.ca

There are no negative consequences to inquiring about your personal and sensitive information

ANHP Joint Public Privacy Statement

Contact:

Mark Cudney (Coordinator)

Description:

The Regional Training Program plans, coordinates and evaluates the delivery of emergency first response training courses for the establishment of First Response Teams, in First Nation Communities throughout Northwestern Ontario