First Light, which advocates for Indigenous people living in an urban environment, would like to see a local Indigenous health clinic in the metro region to address gaps in care for local Indigenous patients.

First Light released a new report ‘Falling Through the Cracks,’ which it says outlines the systemic issues that are affecting the Indigenous community in the metro area, and their ability to receive timely and appropriate health care.

The organization says the report makes it clear that there are urgent and “frequently overlooked needs” in the St. John’s region, including the social determinants of health, systemic racism, and jurisdictional complexities contributing to “unequal access to care and fragmented service delivery.”

That’s resulting in a higher incidence of chronic disease, mental health needs that are not being addressed, and less timely care for urgent conditions.

Community Health Navigator with First Light, Michaela Blake, says she sees first hand the inequities outlined in the report.  She says many of the patients she deals with are not comfortable with the health system, which is why a local clinic would help fill some of those gaps.

“They wait and they wait, and it turns into an emergency situation, so we’re always…in that emergency mode, whereas I think if we had something like the Indigenous health clinic that’s being proposed, folks would be more comfortable to seek primary care. They would have more opportunities to seek primary care, and we could focus on…preventative measures and maintenance rather than constantly being in emergency.”