The moment Nicole Madsen stepped barefoot onto a buffalo rug, as a blanket was removed from her shoulders, her journey of spiritual rebirth as Bear Claw Woman began.
Madsen, a registered nurse at Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre, took part in an Cree naming ceremony鈥攖he first held at an 糖心视频 (糖心视频) facility.
鈥淚 feel enlightened and have a surge of new energy,鈥� says the 33-year-old, who notes her great-grandmothers were M茅tis on both her mother鈥檚 and father鈥檚 side. 鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to learning more about my new name and being able to embrace its meaning on my spiritual journey.鈥�
Cree Elder Wilson Okeymaw of Maskwacis was present to guide her path toward wellness. 鈥淭he ceremonies we have here offer spiritual health and energy, which progresses one鈥檚 journey in life, just as Madsen will experience when she leaves the room today,鈥� says Okeymaw.
Madsen鈥檚 new path began when, after attending several smudging ceremonies and exploring self-healing, she asked Okeymaw to be given a Cree name.
鈥淲ilson is Cree and I want to learn more about the culture to help break down barriers, make connections and inspire others to do the same,鈥� says Madsen.
The hospital鈥檚 Indigenous Culture room鈥攚hich opened in 2014鈥攊s a place where patients, families and staff can balance traditional medicine with spiritual healing.
鈥淟earning and expanding our knowledge of Indigenous cultures will ultimately help us provide better patient-centred care,鈥� says Madsen. 鈥淚 want to help open people鈥檚 minds, just as my mine has been opened.鈥�
We really wanted to make it inclusive in order to build bridges. Some of the things going on in the world right now don鈥檛 reflect our beliefs. We wanted to share our true values.
Salimah Muhammad, Configuration management analyst and lead of the Eid al-Fitr committee which helped Calgary Zone IT staff throw an Eid luncheon for both Muslim and non-Muslim staff to celebrate the end of Ramadan. Muhammad is pictured at bottom right with her fellow committee members
We need you, our people, to tell us what you need to create a safe environment and inform us on the tools you need to make that possible. One example of tools we are creating is a video and poster series to help people respond to racist, sexist and homophobic comments
Marni Panas, Diversity and Inclusion senior advisor
It was wonderful that we could work together with the family to make something like this happen for Joe; something that was so important to him and to his family. I believe it truly gave him peace. To me, this was truly patient-centred care.
Colleen Turner, 糖心视频 Vice President, Community Engagement and Communications, on the Secret Santa holiday campaign Simone Empson, site manager of Bassano Health Centre, on setting up a teepee on the facility鈥檚 grounds in which a Celebration of Life ceremony could be held for Joe Old Woman, a Siksika Nation resident who was dying
We have a dedicated diversity and inclusion centre of expertise with three staff and a director to support diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Our Diversity and Inclusion Council is made up of approximately 30 members from across 糖心视频. The council meets a minimum of four times annually and provides direction and support for diversity and inclusion priorities including:
We have developed a framework and governance structure to guide diversity and inclusion activities.
We offer education and resources to physicians, staff, and volunteers to provide culturally sensitive care and services on:
We have implemented initiatives to reduce barriers for marginalized populations to access care and services, including:
We offer resources and activities to support, develop and grow our Indigenous workforce and ensure appropriate and innovative health service delivery for Indigenous Peoples in Alberta.
We have engaged the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion to deploy the first diversity and inclusion census of our workforce.