Honouring Indigenous Healing and Health Equity

Brant Community Healthcare System (BCHS) has unveiled its first Indigenous Health Strategy, a meaningful step toward culturally safe and inclusive care. Serving Brantford, the Six Nations of the Grand River, and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, the hospital’s plan responds directly to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action on health.

The strategy emphasizes cultural safety training for all staff, spaces for traditional medicines and ceremonies, and programs connecting Indigenous youth to healthcare careers. By bridging traditional approaches to wellness with Western medicine, BCHS aims to ensure that Indigenous patients can access care rooted in both cultural respect and medical excellence.

Manager Michelle Bomberry notes that the strategy is not only about patient experience but also about educating healthcare professionals on the historical and ongoing impacts of colonization. This initiative reflects a growing recognition that reconciliation in healthcare must include listening, learning, and transforming the systems that have long excluded Indigenous voices.

As future leaders and allies, we can ask ourselves, how can we make Indigenous knowledge and ways of healing more visible and valued in our own learning spaces?

Percy-Beauregard, Celeste. “Hospital in Southwestern Ontario Unveils Indigenous Health Strategy.” Penticton Herald, 7 Oct. 2025, www.pentictonherald.ca/spare_news/article_e684549e-4582-5f91-9b18-9980a8dfed5d.html. Accessed 22 Jan. 2026.