aboriginal health

8 steps toward addressing Indigenous health inequities

The health inequities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians have long been shamefully apparent – the various studies finding infant mortality rates in Indigenous populations to be 1.7 to four times that of non-Indigenous populations; the diabetes prevalence that’s nearly twice that of non-Indigenous people; the fact that Indigenous people are six times more likely to

A new era of First Nations health in British Columbia

Trevor Kehoe healthy debate blogger

British Columbia First Nations are making history by undertaking a transformative process to change the way health care is delivered to their children, families and communities. The Tripartite First Nations Health process underway in BC is a case study in the power of many Nations coming together and speaking with a common voice to find

Canadian medical schools struggle to recruit Aboriginal students

Canadian medical schools struggle to recruit Aboriginal students

The featured image for this story is reproduced with permission from the Health Council of Canada. Illustrator: Leah Fontaine Canada’s First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples have, on average, much poorer health than other Canadians. Chronic diseases like diabetes are significantly more common among Aboriginal peoples, and they have a substantially shorter life expectancy than the general population. Mental illness is also alarmingly common in

Innovative medical education in Northern Ontario

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) has developed a model of medical education to address the needs of people living in northern Ontario.  NOSM was founded in 2005 with mandate of social accountability to the communities of the region. As the first NOSM graduates begin to enter practice, there are hopes that this school

The challenges of improving hospital food

The saying “you are what you eat” has taken on more meaning in Canadian society, with growing interest in the quality, origins and farming practices of the food we eat. For some hospitals, this phrase is “you are what you serve” with food service being increasingly scrutinized, and there are many Ontario hospitals with efforts