Pearl Lorentzen

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

People living in the Lesser Slave Lake area can have their say on Indigenous pediatric care at a community engagement session in Slave Lake on May 29.

The Awasisak Indigenous Health Program Talking Circle in Slave Lake is part of community engagement into Indigenous pediatric healthcare. It is Thursday, May 29 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Slave Lake Native Friendship Centre. Registration is required (registration details at end of article).

Barb Courtorielle is the executive director of the Slave Lake Native Friendship Centre. Over the last few years, she spent a lot of time at the Stollery when her granddaughter was a patient there.

“The Stollery does such great work,” she says, “and it’s really trying to focus on Indigenous culture.”

The Stollery reached out to the Friendship Centre about hosting the talking circle.

Having these talking circles in rural communities is “going to be really good for rural communities,” says Courtorielle.

Bernard Fickel is a child and family engagement coordinator for the Awasisak Indigenous Health Program at the Stollery.

Awasisak is “fully funded by the Stollery Foundation,” he says. The program is the first of its kind in Canada.

Awasisak has an office in the Stollery at University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton and staff work in all of the Stollery wards as needed. It also has a social worker at the Stollery Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton.

The engagement session is open to anyone living in the Lesser Slave Lake area, says Fickel, but the main goal is to hear from family members of Indigenous children who have been patients at the Stollery in the last five years.

Awasisak helps all Indigenous people, including First Nations, Métis, and Inuit, but is focused on people living in northern Alberta. The Stollery serves the greater Edmonton area into the territories. Inuit children and families can also receive supports through a northern unit at the hospital.

“It (Asasisak clients) tends to be primarily First Nations from northern communities,” says Fickel.

First Nations members are often eligible for housing and other services from their bands. Services are different for Métis people, but Awasisak works to find the external supports needed.

Awasisak staff members are Indigenous. The Royal Alex has one social worker. The U of A Stollery has two people in Fickel’s position, three social workers, two registered nurses, a researcher and evaluation coordinator, Awasisak team lead, and administration assistant. The team is hiring a cultural advisor and is looking at other positions. Support is also available through Alberta Health Service’s language services.

Awasisak has two focuses: supporting families of Indigenous children and educating people within healthcare about Indigenous culture, traditional healing and the needs of Indigenous children.

Families are referred to Awasisak through the medical staff at the hospital. The first person they are likely to meet is Fickel or his fellow engagement coordinator. They may also meet with the social workers and RNs.

The child and family engagement coordinator is a consistent contact for the family, says Fickel. The goal is to make the families comfortable, make sure they understand what is going on and what they are agreeing to and that their voices are heard.

Awasisak staff help in-patients and their families navigate the hospital and the city and connect them with resources such as housing for family members.

Some families have had to move to the city, says Fickel.

Awasisak means children in Cree. The program was given the name by an elder in the consultation process. The program started in 2016, with community engagements from 2017 and 2019 in northern Alberta. These were in Slave Lake, Grande Prairie, High Level, Fox Lake, Fort McMurray, and Cold Lake.

Awasisak recently held an engagement session in Edmonton, has Grande Prairie and Slave Lake engagement sessions planned, and plans to go to the other communities in the next few months, possibly in the fall.

The Grande Prairie engagement session is on May 28 and Slave Lake on May 29.

The engagement session is all day.

“It is fairly informal,” says Fickel.

The engagement session starts with an opening prayer by a local elder and sage will be available if people want to smudge. The meeting will include two talking circles, divided by lunch. The first talking circle will focus on the success of the Awasisak/Stollery. The second will focus on challenges.

Participants will answer the questions in turn, going around the circle, as is traditional in a talking circle.

There is one deviation from tradition, says Fickel. The facilitator may ask the speaker probing questions.

Someone will take notes at the event or the audio may be recorded, but the information will not be connected with people’s names.

The Friendship Centre will be catering the lunch and snacks.

Ideally, participants will attend the full day, but if they can only attend for part of the time that is an option. However, please let the organizers know if you won’t be there the full day.

For the link to the registration form, email awasisak@ahs.ca or click on the link on the Talking Circle event listing on the Lakeside Leader’s online Calendar of Events.

The final report will be sent to the participants.