Welcome / Tân’si/ Boozhoo / She:kon / Shekoli / ᑐᙵᓱᒋᑦ / Tunngasugit / Nulelìntàm èli paèkw / Pjil’asi / Gilakas’la / Kii-te-daas a / Wa.é ák.wé
The We Count COVID-19 Information and Resource Sharing Hub is for the global First Nations, Métis and Inuit community, public health leaders, front-line staff and their partners who are building the testing, contact tracing, and Indigenous community and social support systems globally needed to stop the COVID-19 pandemic around the world. Our virtual community of practice shares technical resources, strategies, best practices, and more.
This hub is the result of a strong partnership between the Well Living House, Native Men’s Residence, Seventh Generation Midwives Toronto and The Centre for Wise Practices in Indigenous Health at Women's College Hospital.
The We Count COVID-19 Project and Demonstration Model
As the COVID-19 pandemic struck in the spring of 2020, it quickly became apparent that gaps in First Nations, Inuit, and Métis (FNIM) health information systems, particularly with respect to timely, accurate and comprehensive tracking of infectious disease spread across geographies and jurisdictions, was going to hamper public health disease response. The We Count COVID-19 Project was funded by Indigenous Services Canada and is focused on the rapid implementation of a demonstration sub-project to address these data gaps and bolster public health responses in an urban COVID-19 epicentre (Toronto).
The over-arching goal for the We Count COVID19 project is to work in partnership with local urban FNIM health and social service providers to rapidly design, implement, evaluate, and share an Indigenous community led and situated FNIM specific COVID-19 case identification and public health follow-up demonstration program in Toronto.
As part of this project, we actively support local, regional, and national dissemination and application of information, tools, methods, and reporting, including support for development of similar programs for FNIM living in urban and related homelands across Canada. Despite the ambitious nature of this project and some initial funding delays, we opened the Auduzhe Mino Nesewinong Clinic and linked community outreach, rapid community case management and contact tracing program and We Count COVID-19 database in Toronto on October 19th, 2020. Vaccination clinics began at the site on February 23, 2021.
While this project has seen many successes large and small, key achievements to date include:
Recruitment and retention of world class, Indigenous-led clinical, research, and outreach teams that provide culturally safe COVID-19 health and social supports, testing, case management, contact tracing, and epidemiologic information gathering
Co-development and implementation of an Indigenous community-led COVID-19 case management and rapid contact tracing program that is harmonized with and faster than Toronto Public Health responses and includes a tailored and high quality Indigenous contact tracing training course
Completion of over 2200+ COVID-19 tests and 9500+ vaccinations for FNIM individuals, their families and health and social service providers in a holistic and culturally safe manner
Initiation of outreach COVID-19 testing that has improved access to testing for FNIM families with children and elders
We Count COVID19 Partners
Well Living House
Well Living House is an action research centre for Indigenous infants, children, and their families' health and well-being. Our focus is on gathering, using, sharing, and protecting Indigenous health and well-being knowledge and practices. We draw on both Indigenous and public health knowledge to inform cutting edge scholarship and best practices. At the heart is an aspiration to be a place where Indigenous people can gather, understand, and share what it means to be a healthy child, family, and community – building a “Well Living House”.
contact: genevieve.blais@unityhealth.to
416-360-4000 ext 77454
Seventh Generation Midwives Toronto
Seventh Generation Midwives Toronto (SGMT) is a group of midwives who offer maternity care to women from the City of Toronto, particularly those from the downtown area, and from the Aboriginal community. We have privileges at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the Toronto Birth Centre. We provide midwifery care throughout pregnancy, labour, birth, and the first 6 weeks postpartum.
contact: info@sgmt.ca
Native Men’s Residence
In 1985, Na-Me-Res (Native Men’s Residence) - “Na-Me-Res” - began offering emergency shelter to Toronto-based Aboriginal men who were without a place to live. The 26-bed shelter grew quickly to accommodate the growing needs of the community and as a greater understanding of the underlying reasons for Aboriginal homelessness emerged, Na-Me-Res implemented support programs to address those causes.
contact: general@nameres.org
The Centre for Wise Practices in Indigenous Health
Women’s College Hospital is committed to the health and well-being of all First Nations, Inuit and Métis individuals, families and communities. We believe in a health system that acknowledges and respects Indigenous identity, trauma and resilience while providing meaningful, culturally safe care, free of racism and discrimination—where Indigenous worldview(s) are recognized and valued.
contact: indigenoushealth@wchospital.ca
Visit their Maad’ookiing Mshkiki – Sharing Medicine, a virtual hub that provides culturally relevant and trauma-informed information about COVID-19 vaccinations for First Nations, Inuit and Métis.