Image: Contributed
Deb Donald speaks with Secwepemc patient Debbara Toney about her care plan.
Interior Health has set an aggressive target to dramatically boost the number of Aboriginal people in its workforce.
The health authority says it wants to hire about 1,200 new Aboriginal employees over the next seven years, bringing the proportion of its workforce who identify as having Aboriginal heritage up to 10 per cent.
Cathy Stashyn is a human resources director at IH responsible for recruitment. She says the 10 per cent benchmark is an important one because by 2025 it would match the percentage of the region’s overall population who are Aboriginal.
Right now, only about 3.9 per cent of IH’s employees say they have Aboriginal heritage.
Deb Donald, an Aboriginal Patient Navigator at Royal Inland Hospital, says having enough Aboriginal faces around a hospital can do a lot to ease the anxiety some patients feel when thrust into the medical system.
“Familiar identifying factors [can make Aboriginal patients] feel more comfortable and that’s why it’s so important to encourage Aboriginal people toward careers in health care,” she says.
“We have Aboriginal employees at RIH, but I wish there were more. I would like to see a solid representation in housekeeping, security, food and porter services, as well as nurses, allied health and physicians.”
The federal and provincial governments have expressed a similar desire, and Stashyn says that’s part of the reason IH is pouring resources into a focused recruitment strategy.
To try and attract more Aboriginal employees, she says her department has created a slew of marketing materials (including online and through social media) specifically targeted at an Aboriginal audience.
Recruiters are also making a more concerted push to attend career fairs in Aboriginal communities, as well as give those communities’ employment centres a “direct feed of all our opportunities.”
Stashyn says recruiters are also reaching out to students as early as Grades 8 and 9, to let them know what is required for a career in healthcare.
“We’re trying to catch them to the interest in health care, and also letting them know what they need in order to go into certain professions,” she says.
Stashyn says IH has made these types of efforts in the past, but “never in such a concerted way.” She says she’s been with IH from the beginning and has never seen the organization specifically target one group of people with the goal of hiring a specific number of them.
“In my experience it’s unique… I’m not aware of any other time we’ve done it,” she said.
Health Minister Adrian Dix says it’s becoming increasingly clear that it is necessary to create an environment that provides culturally appropriate care that is supportive of all patients.
“The progress we have made so far is good, and I acknowledge that the targets set are ambitious but necessary,” she says. “This approach is part of a broader strategy in which health authorities work closely with the First Nations Health Authority and other partners to improve cultural safety and humility across the healthcare system.”
All Biz Releases Stories
