Giigewigamig Traditional Healing Centre
Giigewigamig Traditional Healing Centre opened to the public in Spring 2017. The new addition to the existing facility has been designed to provide better, more culturally appropriate health care services to families in Sagkeeng, Black River, Hollow Water, and Bloodvein and the surrounding Métis communities. The redevelopment provides space for traditional healers and elders, an additional nurse practitioner, a First Nation and Métis outreach liaison, a medical lab assistant and spaces for support services.
The First Nation communities of Sagkeeng, Black River, Hollow Water and Bloodvein came together to create the Giigewigamig (Kee-gay-ga-mik) First Nation Health Authority working group to manage program development of the new traditional healing centre at Pine Falls. “Giigewigamig” means “A place of healing,” in Ojibway which was named by the Rev. Ernest McPherson Senior of Black River.
The mission is to create a place in the hospital for loved ones to support family members who may be ill and seeking care in the hospital and:
- Offer a place where family can prepare traditional meals and medicine for loved ones in the hospital
- Provide access to First Nations traditions, culture, language, healing ceremonies, medicines, and teachings to provide holistic and natural care for all people
- Assist community members to coordinate spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical care that meets their needs
- Provide patient interpretation and advocacy
- Inspire a new standard of quality health care, and advocate for greater accountability to honour the Treaty Right to health through the jointly coordinated services of Giigewigamig, the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority, the Province of Manitoba and Health Canada.
