September 30 has been recognized as Truth and Reconciliation Day across Canada. It provides us all an opportunity to acknowledge and reflect on the history and atrocities of the Canadian residential school system that was inflicted on Indigenous peoples.
Our governments are calling upon us to consider what we can do as individuals to advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and to create a better and more inclusive and just society.
The recently released report In Plain Sight: Addressing Indigenous-specific Racism and Discrimination in BC Health Care is a sad commentary on the stereotypes and biases that are pervasive in our industry. Dentistry is very much a part of this unfortunate legacy.
Confronting racism is the cornerstone of how we can best meet the needs of our Indigenous patients and is an important philosophy to build into our own personal life’s journey. We all have a part to play in improving patient care and outcomes. We all need to understand the harm that has already been done and reflect on how those harms impact interactions with First Nations people in order to start dealing with the embedded racism in the healthcare system.
On this Truth and Reconciliation Day, we are encouraging our staff to share their personal feelings and attitudes and explore how we can learn and improve as individuals and as a group. We are also providing resources and support that can help team members begin their own personal journeys as we make this part of an ongoing office-wide commitment to continuous improvement.
(Adapted from the BCDA)
Our governments are calling upon us to consider what we can do as individuals to advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and to create a better and more inclusive and just society.
The recently released report In Plain Sight: Addressing Indigenous-specific Racism and Discrimination in BC Health Care is a sad commentary on the stereotypes and biases that are pervasive in our industry. Dentistry is very much a part of this unfortunate legacy.
Confronting racism is the cornerstone of how we can best meet the needs of our Indigenous patients and is an important philosophy to build into our own personal life’s journey. We all have a part to play in improving patient care and outcomes. We all need to understand the harm that has already been done and reflect on how those harms impact interactions with First Nations people in order to start dealing with the embedded racism in the healthcare system.
On this Truth and Reconciliation Day, we are encouraging our staff to share their personal feelings and attitudes and explore how we can learn and improve as individuals and as a group. We are also providing resources and support that can help team members begin their own personal journeys as we make this part of an ongoing office-wide commitment to continuous improvement.
(Adapted from the BCDA)
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