Mi’kmaw health navigators hope to incorporate Indigenous practices into P.E.I.’s health-care system | CBC News

Shelby Arsenault-Ellands is providing health care just a few roads away from where she grew up.

Arsenault-Ellands, a registered nurse, is a member of Lennox Island First Nation. She’s now working at the Lennox Island Health Centre as a Mi’kmaw health systems navigator, helping people in her community access services.

“I do a little bit of everything,” Arsenault-Ellands said. “But I guess the biggest parts would be helping Indigenous people from everywhere navigate the health-care system.

“That could be mental health, surgery, long-term care, addictions, socioeconomic stuff as well. And just helping people get connected to the services they need.” 

Working as navigator, Arsenault-Ellands said she can attend appointments with people who might want an “extra set of ears” in the room when dealing with a physician.

She’s been in that position since September. This March, Health P.E.I. signed an agreement to fund half of her position and one more like it.

The positions also get funding from the federal government.

“I think it is really needed for the Indigenous community to make sure, especially being so rural, … that services are connected,” Arsenault-Ellands said.

“Obviously we have the Western medicine side of things, but we also have [the] traditional side of things as well that we can help incorporate into people’s care plans so that they feel like they’re getting the holistic care that they deserve.”

Making health care accessible

Shelly McLean is Lennox Island’s director of health services.

She said that sometimes members of the Indigenous community and health care providers can be confused about the non-insured health benefits for First Nations and Inuit.

“It’s called ‘non-insured’ because it provides insurance for First Nations people who do not have insurance through other avenues,” McLean said.

If someone is diagnosed with cancer, they might not know what is available for them.— Shelly McLean

“So if someone is diagnosed with cancer, they might not know what is available for them.”

McLean said members of Indigenous communities have often felt uncomfortable accessing health services outside their community “because of racism in the past.”

She said she’s been looking to get the navigator position funded since 2019.

“So far, it’s been successful,” she said. “We’re still in the beginning processes of coming up with forms and different things like that…. I think it is going to be growing quite a bit.”

Crissy Riley works at the Abegweit First Nation Mi’kmaq Wellness Centre as the province’s other health navigator. She’s been a licensed practical nurse for more than 20 years.

“The Indigenous community as I see it, and from what I have been hearing from community members and what I’ve experienced in the past working with the community — it is harder for them to access care,” she said.

“I don’t know why that is, but I intend to make it more accessible for them.”

Riley said her job goes beyond showing up at the doctor’s office. Recently, she helped an Abegweit First Nation member secure a birth certificate in order to begin accessing health care.

Changing practices

Officials with Health P.E.I. are trying to make Indigenous practices in hospitals more consistent, the agency said in an email to CBC News.

One request from Arsenault-Ellands has already resulted in action, the email said.

“Health P.E.I. has allowed smudging ceremonies in its facilities in the past. However, in recent months, we have realized that this practice is not always consistent in every facility. We are currently creating a policy that will provide more constancy around the process of responding to this request.”

I hope that we can work very closely in collaboration and make all of Indigenous people care inclusive.– Shelby Arsenault-Ellands

Arsenault-Ellands said it’s important to have people with similar cultural backgrounds helping members of the Mi’kmaw community navigate the system.

She said non-Indigenous health-care providers have some learning to do — and that she hopes she can help with that process.

“I hope that we can work very closely in collaboration and make all of Indigenous people care inclusive,” she said.