The first local family health clinic opens in Montreal

Montreal's first Indigenous family health clinic officially opened its doors Friday morning.

Launched in 2021, the Native Montreal Family Clinic will lead the project to ensure the placement and sustainability of health and social services tailored to the identity and specific needs of Indigenous clients in the Montreal metropolitan area.

This was announced on Friday by Minister of Health Christian Dubé together with Minister responsible for relations with First Nations and Inuit Jan Lafreniere.

Dube said he is excited that the new clinic will promote the local health care aspect.

“We don't ask people who come to the clinic if they're on the family doctor's record, if they've called 811, 'What do you need?' we say. and depending on your needs, we can help you find the right person.

“Now we are looking at the concept of proximity to the front line. (…) The example of the clinic is part of this vision,” said Dube.

The clinic's goal is to improve access to front-line services that are “culturally safe and complementary to existing public services for local residents of Montreal.”

The social workers, known as navigators, ensure that the local residents receive the appropriate service according to their needs, such as after-sales service,” said Dube.

The Greater Montreal area has more than 35,000 Indigenous people, including 13,000 on the island. It is one of the largest urban indigenous communities in Quebec.

“Over half of First Nations and Inuit don't live in communities, they live in urban areas,” Lafreniere said. “That's why the clinic we're announcing today makes so much sense. In Montreal, thousands of people live there, are involved and are just passing through. We need services that are culturally responsive. It's about having navigators, making them feel welcome and making sure that the system meets their needs rather than the needs of the system.” .

The care space in Montreal joins seven other culturally safe health clinics in the province. Other projects of this type are already in the works and may be announced soon, Lafreniere said.

The medical clinic in Montreal offers a number of advanced services with an emphasis on prevention.

The medical professionals working there are trained in the realities and needs of local communities.

“We hope to be able to educate local health workers. We can be a gateway for other non-native practitioners who want to learn about internships or different levels of involvement, and how to better their practice,” said Montreal's local executive director. Philip Mailer.

In his speech, Meylor noted that the indigenous community has faced discrimination and racism “for far too long”.

“This negligence led to inhumane situations like the one Joyce Echaquan experienced in her last minutes,” he said. “These collective and intergenerational traumas have created a gulf of distrust that drives our people away from traditional care structures.”

He emphasized the importance of a project like the new local health clinic to help reverse the negative effects that generations have experienced.

“Member-patients” can be followed by a medical team made up of family doctors and nurses from the Clinique universitaire de Médecine de Famille (GMF-U) in Verdun.

Located on rue Saint-Jacques, the clinic premises consist of two examination rooms and three multi-purpose rooms that can be used for various consultations.

The central part of this unique facility, called the “cedar room”, consists of several armchairs with wooden walls. It is used, among others, by people from local communities who wish to be accompanied by a keeper of knowledge.

The Cedar Room at the local Montreal Family Clinic. (CTV News)

It is also used for a number of ceremonies and traditional healing practices – a special ventilation system is installed.

Meiller also said he has begun working with the DPJ to get the clinic recognized under the Youth Protection Act.

“We want to ensure that the children's culture and the family's well-being are preserved,” Meylor said.

This Canadian Press report was first published in French on April 12, 2024.

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