Sarnia-Lambton OHT launch new Indigenous health education
LAMBTON COUNTY – June 19, 2025 – The Sarnia-Lambton Ontario Health Team, in collaboration with the Indigenous Communities Advisory Council and local partners, has launched a new educational resource designed to support more culturally safe, inclusive care for Indigenous patients and families in Lambton County.
Released during Indigenous History Month, the new learning package includes an educational video and a companion guide, Guide to Indigenous Health & History. Both resources aim to deepen understanding of the local history, health experiences, and cultural practices of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples in Sarnia-Lambton.
“Cultural safety is not a checkbox – it begins with humility, respect, awareness and understanding,” says Sara Plain, Manager of Health Services at Aamjiwnaang First Nation and Co-Chair of the SL-OHT Indigenous Communities Advisory Council. “These resources were developed by and with Indigenous voices. They are a beginning, an invitation to listen, learn, and move forward in creating spaces where Indigenous people feel safe.”
The release of these tools builds on commitments made by the Sarnia-Lambton OHT during a December 2024 event hosted at Aamjiwnaang First Nation, where partners and community members gathered to reflect on the Canadian Medical Association’s formal apology to Indigenous Peoples for harms caused by the medical profession.
“We left that event with a shared sense of responsibility to do better – through our words, our actions, and the systems we help shape,” says Nadine Neve, Executive Lead of the Sarnia-Lambton OHT. “This education is one way we are acting on that responsibility. It’s a starting point for honest dialogue and systemic change.”
The guide and video are available on the Sarnia-Lambton OHT’s website and are being integrated into staff training and onboarding processes. Printed copies of the guide are also being distributed to local organizations.
As part of Indigenous History Month, the Sarnia-Lambton-OHT also supported a series of Indigenous cancer screening days in June – offering culturally safe access to preventive care and early detection services. These efforts, held in collaboration with Indigenous partners and healthcare providers, are an important step toward addressing health disparities and improving outcomes.
Looking ahead, planning is underway for a gathering of Traditional Healers from across Southwestern Ontario, taking place later this summer. The meeting – organized in partnership with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine and the Western Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry – will support relationship-building, knowledge-sharing, and renewed respect for traditional healing practices within modern care systems.
“Indigenous communities have long faced barriers to safe, equitable care – as healthcare practitioners and social service providers, it is imperative that we work to remove those barriers,” say Paige Boris, Director of Health at Kettle and Stony Point First Nation and Chair of the Sarnia-Lambton OHT Collaboration Council. “We are grateful to the Indigenous Communities Advisory Council for their leadership in this work. Their guidance ensures this education resource is not only informative, but transformative.”
The Sarnia-Lambton OHT encourages all partners and community organizations to explore the new resources and consider how they can be used to support a more respectful, equitable system of care.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
Indigenous Culture and Health – Educational Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al_nfzu_fKc
VIEW THE GUIDE:
View the Guide to Indigenous Health & History