OTTAWA, Ont.-Ontario and Indigenous partners are working together to improve access to care and increase the involvement of Indigenous communities in developing and delivering their health services. This includes direct funding for communities to enhance access to care, funding for services as well as training opportunities and identifying opportunities for greater First Nations control over the design and delivery of health care services in the future.

Dr. Eric Hoskins, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, spoke at the First Nations Health Transformation Summit on Feb. 14 to provide an update on the province's engagement with Indigenous partners since the launch of Ontario's First Nations Health Action Plan and The Journey Together: Ontario's Commitment to Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, and to announce a number of new initiatives. "These historic investments to improve the health and well-being of Indigenous communities have only been possible through respectful partnerships between Ontario and Indigenous partners. We know more work still needs to be done and our government is committed to continued investments in meaningful and lasting Indigenous-led solutions guided by evidence-based research, so communities can access the health services they need to heal and enjoy the high quality of life they deserve," Hoskins said.

New initiatives include:

• Home care: Providing funding directly to each of the 133 First Nations communities in Ontario to strengthen access to culturally appropriate home and community care services. Ontario is also expanding access to home and community care services at nearly 25 delivery sites across the province to help Indigenous people living in urban areas connect more easily to the services they need.

• Primary care: Creating 16 new or expanded Indigenous-governed and community-driven interprofessional primary care teams across Ontario. These will provide culturally safe primary health care services and programs to over 70,000 Indigenous people-including in remote and fly-in communities. The province is also partnering with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine and Matawa First Nations Management on a new Remote First Nations Family Medicine Residency Program to recruit and train up to four family doctors annually to work in remote First Nations communities.

•Palliative care: Training up to 1,000 health care workers living and working in First Nations communities, or for Indigenous health care organizations, who are providing palliative care. First Nations and urban Indigenous people will receive the care they need and stay at home or in the community for as long as possible.

•Mental health and wellness: Funding 34 Indigenous-led mental health and wellness programs across the province to provide enhanced, culturally appropriate supports for Indigenous youth, adults, families and communities. These programs include funding over 100 new mental health workers who will serve 69 First Nations communities, as well as urban Indigenous communities in cities.

• Healing and Treatment Centres: Funding to establish or expand 10 Indigenous-led Healing and Treatment centers across Ontario, which will offer 50 new culturally safe treatment beds. Available services will include substance use disorder services, holistic mental health counselling and cultural supports. Ontario also recently signed a Charter of Relationship Principles with Nishnawbe Aski Nation and Canada, and is working with other Political Territorial Organizations and First Nations partners on similar relationship documents. These will express Ontario's commitment to collaborate with partners in creating new health systems for First Nations communities that will be led, planned and delivered by First Nations themselves.

Investing in the health and wellness of Indigenous communities is one of many steps on Ontario's journey of healing and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. It reflects the government's commitment to work with Indigenous partners, creating a better future for everyone in the province.

"Improving the health, healing and wellness of Indigenous people through culturally appropriate services and programs is an important step on the journey of reconciliation and can only be done by working hand in hand with Indigenous partners," says David Zimmer, Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation. "The investments our government announced will help lead to changes that will benefit the lives of Indigenous people across Ontario."