Webinar 10: Responding to Anti-Indigenous Racism in the Health Care System

Webinar 10: Responding to Anti-Indigenous Racism in the Health Care System

With Yvette Ringham Cowan ​and Laurie Harding

Stemming from a history of colonialism and ongoing racism in Canada, Indigenous people continue to experience many harms when trying to access health care. This presentation will take a closer look at where and how these harms tend to occur in the system, and what we can start doing as individuals and organizations in response. Drawing on lessons learned from the San’yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Training program, this webinar will unpack the ways anti-Indigenous racism and stereotyping show up in health care settings and share insights on responding to racism and discrimination through Indigenous cultural safety approaches.

Yvette Ringham Cowan​ is of mixed Kwakwaka’wakw and English ancestry and has been working as a cultural safety facilitator for several years, focusing on supporting non-Indigenous folks to increase their own and their organization’s capacity to create culturally safe interactions and environments. She has joined the San’yas team from Vancouver Island Health. Yvette holds the position of Indigenous Cultural Safety (ICS) Integration Lead working on the development and implementation of ICS knowledge integration activities and the ICS Strategy.

Laurie Harding is a White Settler with Scottish and English ancestry and has been working as a cultural safety facilitator with the San’yas team for seven years. She supports non-Indigenous Settlers and organizations to increase their capacity to create safer interactions and environments. Her doctoral research is focused on the impact of Indigenous stereotypes on service providers’ attitudes and actions. Laurie is currently an Indigenous Cultural Safety Integration Lead, which involves working to help providers integrate Indigenous Cultural Safety knowledge into their work or practice.​