The Northern Ontario School of Medicine has launched a new Indigenous Health Practitioner Pathway program.
The goal is to increase the number of First Nations health-care professionals in the region in order to provide culturally appropriate care.
It’s seen as a starting point for Indigenous youth.
Officials say the program will provide educational programming focused on health, life and human sciences, both in remote communities and larger urban centres in the north.
Dr. Rebekah Neckoway is based in Sioux Lookout and travels to the remote north to practice and says this pathway will provide opportunities and role models for Indigenous youth.
Neckoway is hoping this will remove the “visiting” part from the “visiting health professional” signs that she sees in clinics across the region.
The program is supported by a $195,000 donation from RBC.
