On this National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, First Light is making a plea to the next provincial government for support as they prepare to open a “historic” Indigenous Health Clinic in St. John’s.
The organization has been preparing to build the clinic since 2018, and now construction is well underway on Quidi Vidi Road with an opening target of one year from now.
Executive Director Stacey Howse says there is a great need metro, stating that there are 7,000 Indigenous people living in the region.
Of those, 60 per cent live with a chronic condition, over 1,300 don’t have a family doctor, and a quarter report racism from healthcare providers.
The organization says the clinic will offer culturally safe and trauma-informed care, and will be rooted in ceremony and culture.
While the exact amount of funding they would need is still being worked out, Howse says the project will save the healthcare system millions.
She says it could save upwards of $2.8-million per year, mostly in preventable hospitalizations. She says the amount of funding they get will determine how much care they can provide.
