More Indigenous practitioners are needed to address systemic racism, but that can’t happen without a supportive education system that also envisions them in leadership roles, says a report commissioned by Health Canada and touted as the first comprehensive review of the health-care workforce.

The report, released Tuesday by the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS), includes an assessment of 5,000 studies done over the last decade on various issues, such as the retention of nurses and doctors and the impact of technology. Some of the research was from countries with similar care models, including Australia, the United Kingdom and Germany.

It outlines multiple hurdles in health care, including inadequate staffing, burnout, moral distress and dissatisfied patients. It also says the system should prioritize culturally safe workplaces, with a focus on team-based care and gender equity so women, who have been the main caregivers at home as well during the pandemic can stay in leadership roles.

Dr. Marcia Anderson, an internist at Grace Hospital in Winnipeg, was among the 15 people who assessed the scientific literature. She said that as part of Canada’s systemically disadvantaged populations, Indigenous Peoples face “really high levels of racism in the workplace or in the learning environment.”

“In some reports that could be 80 or 90 per cent of people who report experiencing racism,” she said, adding one of the key “pathways” forward is through Indigenous-led development of policies, safe reporting and investigation processes, as well as mandatory education and training for all employees.

Anderson said the gap also compromises care for Indigenous patients, who have endured racism in the health-care system.

She cited the case of 37-year-old Indigenous patient Joyce Echaquan, who died in a Quebec hospital of pulmonary edema in 2020, shortly after filming herself being insulted by hospital staff, as an example of the need for Indigenous Peoples to be part of the health-care workforce and provide leadership in ensuring culturally safe care.

Read the entire Canadian Press article here

On Saturday, May 14, 2022,  10 Black people were killed and three were injured in a horrifying act of anti-Black racism in Buffalo, New York. Adding to the violence and trauma was a 180-page hate-filled manifesto and the social media live-streaming of the mass shooting. As the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, we acknowledge and think of the families and communities who are grieving the loss of their loved ones.

 As a faculty, we need to be aware of, understand and support people in our community who may experience this as a collective experience of grief and trauma (suggested reading: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40719-022-00225-5). We need to be cautious about assuming people will be ready or want to engage in conversations about this: ask for consent first and accept “no” without requesting further explanation.

We may falsely assume that this could not/has not happened in Canada, that anti-Black racism is somehow not as bad on our side of the border. This is factually incorrect, and erases experiences of anti-Black racism in our country, province, city and university. This perspective can cause further harm.

In our desire to acknowledge our limitations and our systemic participation in anti-Black racism, we may reach out to Black colleagues, students or leaders and ask them what we should do now. However, we must be mindful that they too may be processing their grief and trauma responses in response to this violent act. They may need to prioritize their own well-being and time with their families and communities.

Perhaps we can hit the pause button to hold that respectful space, and instead prepare ourselves to amplify those voices when they are ready to share at the time that is right for them. We can prepare by reading the work of Black scholars, poets and writers, engaging with the work of Black artists, and understanding what we have already been told about how anti-Black racism acts in our systems and spaces and what is needed to disrupt this racism and support Black excellence and joy.

As a faculty, we stand in solidarity with the families and Black communities in Buffalo and beyond. We are committed to more fully understanding and acting in response to our commitments to the Scarborough Charter. We are open to feedback or suggestions about what supports would be helpful at this time. 

Toward the goal of “walking the talk,” a new educational module in the form of a slide presentation has been created to introduce the Disruption of all Forms of Racism policy to students, staff, faculty and the public.

The online module, available as of February 2022, provides an introductory understanding of concepts related to racism, including discrimination and harassment, and covers procedures for reporting racism, as well as faculty’s duty to educate others about racism and intervene when witnessing racist acts.

Dr. Marcia Anderson, vice-dean Indigenous health, social justice and anti-racism

“Right now, we’re really focused on building foundations for anti-racist change within the Rady Faculty, and education is a key aspect of this foundation,” says Marcia Anderson [MD/02], vice-dean Indigenous health, social justice and anti-racism.

“It’s important that people understand the many different ways that racism can impact members of our community, as well as the people and communities we serve. It is only once we can identify and understand how racism is operating that we can intervene to create change.”

The module, which includes the option of audio narration by Anderson, discusses the historical context of racism up to the present, and how it has directly affected the health and well-being of generations of people who live in Manitoba and Canada.

“It’s a recognition of the histories of dispossession, enslavement, settler colonialism and genocide, and the ongoing violence related to that,” says Dr. Delia Douglas, anti-racism practice lead for the Rady Faculty. “The anti-racism policy is an affirmation of the humanity, rights and dignity of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and other people of colour) members of the Rady Faculty.”

The module provides an accessible way for people to engage with the policy, Douglas says. Faculty members can share it in their classrooms to ignite conversation.

Dr. Delia Douglas, anti-racism practice lead for the Rady Faculty.

Different forms of racism are defined in the module, along with the steps one can take to disclose or report experiences of racism without fear of reprisal or other adverse consequences.

“On a regular basis I hear from learners about the racism they experience,” says Anderson. “Health professional education is hard for everyone, but the addition of experiences of racism or of being in unsafe learning environments makes it even harder for BIPOC learners.

“This can lead to feelings of isolation, trauma, stress or burnout. It can impact academic performance. People have to spend time and energy on debriefing or processing these experiences of racism, which takes away from their time for other academic, social or personal activities.

“These experiences aren’t rare or exceptional, and they cause harm. We have to work to create change.”

The Disruption of all Forms of Racism policy is intended to complement existing policies, such as the Respectful Workplace and Learning Environment policy and the Student Non-Academic Misconduct and Concerning Behaviour procedure, that were also created to foster a safe learning and working environment.

The Disruption of all Forms of Racism Module 1 is available on the UM website: https://umanitoba.ca/health-sciences/office-anti-racism#learning-module