Recommendations for Indigenous women’s wellness in the DTES

Culturally safe healthcare

Recommendation 196: Hospitals including security guards need to be welcoming and supportive—not judgmental and criminalizing—in their interactions with Indigenous patients.

Recommendations for Indigenous women’s wellness in the DTES

Culturally safe healthcare

Recommendation 197: Security guards and all emergency room healthcare providers and staff must receive mandatory training in cultural sensitivity, mental health, and de-escalation.

Recommendations for Indigenous women’s wellness in the DTES

Expanded health services

Recommendation 204: Declare the opioid crisis a national public health emergency that disproportionately impacts Indigenous women, and expand funding for immediate health-based solutions for the opioid crisis that focus on the specific needs of Indigenous women. This includes:

1. Full spectrum of recovery supports including immediate access to Indigenous women’s detox-on-demand and treatment centres.
2. Indigenous-run treatment centres that use culture as treatment with Indigenous healing methods and land-based practices.
3. More indoor overdose prevention sites and consumption sites, including culturally safe sites for Indigenous women only.
4. Decriminalization and access to safer drug supply.
5. Opioid-assisted therapy programs and full spectrum of substitution treatment options.
6. Longer-term funding for range of culturally safe treatment programs.
7. Provincial regulation and oversight over all recovery programs and facilities.