UPDATE: ‘Heartbreaking’ stories of anti-Indigenous racism at Ottawa area hospitals at centre of recent report

The story has been updated with a statement from The Ottawa Hospital. The statement can be found below. 

Healthcare is not immune to racism, and that's what a new report from Ottawa’s Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health has found when it comes to anti-Indigenous racism in the community.

Released on Wednesday, May 25, the report found that 76 per cent of those who participated in a survey said they felt they could have received better services if they were able to hide their Indigenous identity — and of those individuals, 93 per cent have felt this way was sometimes to always right.

As well, the report titled “Share Your Story” shows that 78 per cent reported that they sometimes or always experienced anti-Indigenous racism in the healthcare system, while 69 per cent indicated they reduced using the healthcare system as a result of racism and discrimination.

Speaking to The Sam Laprade Show on Wednesday, May 25 Alison Fisher, executive director of Wabano, said the team felt it was their responsibility to share the stories of racism within the healthcare system that they’ve heard from their members, to empower the community to continue sharing their stories in hopes for change.

“We felt it was important for our leadership in this province that they really have to deal with systemic racism in the healthcare system, and we have asked them to sign a declaration to commit to working on this problem across the province,” Fisher said. “We’re hopeful they sign it and send it back to us.”

There were 315 distinct stories of racism both in Ottawa and the city’s rural areas, Fisher explains — from Cornwall to Renfrew, Pembroke area and the city itself — from 118 participants of both who were on the receiving end of racism or witnessed it.

“They are heartbreaking stories,” Fisher said. “The hot spots are definitely the emergency wards, maternity wards, the health clinics across the city and our paramedics.”

Butch’s story

One such story involves a man named Butch who lived with cystic fibrosis, and with one of his stays at CHEO.

Born with the disease, Butch was in and out of hospitals most of his life.

When he was 15, his pain medication no longer provided him comfort and an MRI had shown he had two compression fractures in his spine and some bones were malformed, resulting in chronic pain in additional to all the cystic fibrosis symptoms he continued to experience.

He was referred to a pain specialist to explore possible new avenues for managing his pain and that’s when he met with a new physician at the Roger Neilson House, a facility at CHEO dedicated to palliative care to support children and their families.

As the Wabano report states, “Butch’s experience with the doctor there was anything but loving,” and the meeting marked one of the “most hurtful experiences in his history with the healthcare system.”

As we were getting to know Butch, the doctor opened the meeting by stating that “he was unlikely to prescribe new pain medication for him because of addiction…a condition you would know all about being native and living with addicts and alcoholics every day where you are from.’”

This experience — the “hateful assumptions” made by the doctor — both stunned and emotionally scarred him and his mother.

While he did say his stays at CHEO had their “bright spots,” like the friendship he formed with a child life specialist, there were others involved in his care in Ottawa’s healthcare system who made his life “a living hell.”

“The treatment of Butch by a very senior nurse in the [cystic fibrosis] unit at The Ottawa Hospital’s general campus was nothing short of appalling,” the report states. “She wages a relentless campaign with Butch and, when she could, each of his parents, to force the signing of a Do Not Resuscitate order (DNR). When Butch challenged her in any way it became worse.”

That’s when Butch alleges she would lecture him on how much his care cost the hospital, the implication of being a terminal patient he was not worth the investment.

Butch and his family complained of her harassment to the hospital administration.

But when he or members of his family complained, the nurse threatened — and on occasion — withheld snacks, TV and phone privileges, which Butch was entitled to.

According to the report, the hospital did nothing to reprimand the nurse but did finally agree to the family’s request to have her taken off his medical team.

During another time, Butch’s mom was accused of being a drug addict based on no evidence according to the family other than she was thin in stature, had some “bad teeth” and was part of an Indigenous family going through hard times.

This pushed Butch’s mom to take a drug test to prove she wasn’t — which the test showed there was nothing in her system.

She was never issued an apology.

On Butch’s 18th birthday, without any warning, discussion or explanation, Butch was moved to the General campus.

“He was told abruptly that from now on he would receive adult care and any consultations with Sick Kids hospital including the possibility of a liver transplant were no longer an option,” the report outlines. “For Butch and the family, weeks turned into months at the General. The quality of Butch’s care did not improve nor did the attitudes towards his family.” Palliative care, intended as a pathway to bring some relief and comfort to a dying patient, seemed the opposite to Butch…it was more like a cold and uncaring shortcut to hasten his death.”

A few months before his death, butch insisted that his family take him home “no matter what,” where he could spend his last days with them. So he went home.

He had had an IV pick inserted in his arm in order to allow him to have IV medicine at home, his lifeline for transfusions and medicines.

But, according to one doctor after one of his visits, it was his last pick given the condition of his veins. 

They pleaded, but to no avail, and left the hospital in fear.

The hospital then called the police saying Butch was a danger to himself and others.

Then the police arrived at the family home. The report says the situation was explained and cops were embarrassed, apologetic and angry at the treatment he had received at the hospital.

Butch did not survive long after that night and his last hours were spent in “excruciating pain.”

Butch died shortly after 4:30 p.m. on April 30, 2018 in his mother’s arms at the Montfort Hospital.

Read Butch's full story here. 

Statement from the Montfort Hospital

Dr. Bernard Leduc, CEO of the Montfort Hospital, says the Montfort team has always been “very involved” with Wabano in the past.

“I think this report is welcome and needs to be in the public domain,” he said. “It’s not data that’s captured in terms of the population, so the difficulty is really having to assess who the population is that is coming because, for very good reasons and understandably, they are fearful of identifying themselves because of all the racism and prejudice that are in play in identifying themselves for being Aboriginal or Inuit or Métis to them risking getting lesser care.”

Leduc said the hospital was made aware of these circumstances years ago, so he and the team started the process of putting in place measures to address such issues by way of a patient reporting system.

This way, the hospital knew what areas need to be worked on and made better.

Following these findings, the Ontario Aboriginal Coalition is calling on Ontario’s political party leaders to commit to action to end widespread racism and discrimination against Indigenous people in Ontario’s healthcare system.

Statement from The Ottawa Hospital (TOH)

In an emailed statement, TOH says it acknowledges healthcare institutions like TOH have been a part of a long cycle of systemic racism against Indigenous People and communities but adds that it is working on strengthening the hospital's relationship with Indigenous communities so everyone feels safe and respected. 

“Indigenous patients coming to TOH should feel respected and have their values and beliefs at the core of their treatment and healing. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that this is a reality for every patient, all the time,” TOH's statement reads. 

“The Ottawa Hospital is committed to building meaningful partnerships with Indigenous communities, patients and their families. As part of planning the new campus development, we are privileged to work with Indigenous partners from many First Nations, Metis, and Inuit communities. Their knowledge and wisdom are critical in guiding TOH to improve the care and experience for Indigenous patients at all our campuses. We are also in the process of drafting an Indigenous framework so that we have a plan to move forward.”

TOH says not only does racism create an unsafe environment for patient care, but also affects a patient's health outcome.

“We will continue to strengthen our relationships with Indigenous communities to ensure that Indigenous patients and families feel safe and respected at all TOH campuses.”