Indigenous Patient Services
Contact Elizabeth Etherington at (705) 267-2131 ext 2666
Indigenous Healing Room
In June 2009, TADH hosted the official opening of the newly constructed Indigenous Healing Room. This room is now officially called "Spiritual Place" (accompanied by a medicine wheel)1 and will help to meet the spiritual and cultural needs of the Hospital's patients and visitors.
This specialized room is primarily meant for First Nations, and Métis in-patients of the hospital in order to provide them the opportunity to participate in healing ceremonies and a place for meditation.
The circular healing room was designed with no right angles and is constructed with a separate ventilation system to allow for smudging ceremonies. Mr. Gordon Goodwin painted the image of a turtle on the domed ceiling of this room.
TADH was able to obtain funding through the Federal-Provincial Aboriginal Transition Fund to support this project and has been working with the TADH Foundation to secure donations from various organizations for the remainder of the cost.
This project was developed through the Indigenous Advisory Committee and advocated by the Health Care Team as well as aboriginal patients and visitors at TADH.
1 The medicine wheel is based on ancient symbolism as follows: the red, yellow, black and white colours, help us visualize the four elements (earth, air, fire and water), the four aspects of human nature, (physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual), the four directions (east south, west and north) and the cycle of human development (infancy, childhood, adulthood and eldership) all working within the wholeness of creation.
Community Resources
The development of the Community Resource Guide was led by Therese Bergeron-Hopson as part of a sub-committee of the Aboriginal Advisory Committee.
