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Cultural Safety the Expectation, not the Exception","2026-09-29T12:39:48.488Z","2026-10-22T19:13:42.144Z","2026-10-22T19:13:42.186Z",225263568942204,"ca9c16b6-2079-40d4-9a32-8d8988f9438c",{"seo":277,"_uid":282,"hero":283,"types":309,"topics":310,"Noindex":293,"content":311,"audience":618,"component":619},{"_uid":278,"title":279,"plugin":280,"og_image":16,"og_title":16,"description":281,"twitter_image":16,"twitter_title":16,"og_description":16,"twitter_description":16},"74c45cb6-c27b-4464-84a1-ca31903d3687","Making Cultural Safety the Expectation, Not the Exception","seo_metatags","Sonia Isaac-Mann shares how First Nations-led care, patient feedback and shared learning can help make cultural safety an expectation across healthcare. ","9ed8d3dd-5c33-4c2a-9748-bd229d66eb1e",[284],{"_uid":285,"date":16,"image":286,"title":270,"author":16,"component":294,"description":295},"292ef022-8a29-48e3-9b43-56fd8ad174ec",{"id":287,"alt":288,"name":16,"focus":16,"title":16,"source":16,"filename":289,"copyright":16,"fieldtype":290,"meta_data":291,"is_external_url":293},226396042603382,"Sonia Isaac-Mann, President and CEO of the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority","https:\u002F\u002Fa-ca.storyblok.com\u002Ff\u002F850807391887861\u002F1500x907\u002Fc24657ef82\u002Fblog-hero-sonia-en-1340x810.webp","asset",{"alt":288,"size":292,"title":16,"source":16,"copyright":16},"1500x907",false,"hero-news",{"type":12,"attrs":296,"content":297},{"backgroundColor":53},[298],{"type":15,"attrs":299,"content":300},{"textAlign":53},[301],{"text":302,"type":303,"marks":304},"For First Nations people – who have long experienced inequitable and harmful care – the expectation of safer care may feel a long way off. Sonia Isaac-Mann, President and CEO of the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority, shares examples of culturally safer care at the system and community levels, and what she believes will help turn those bright lights into a glow that covers every part of the country.","text",[305],{"type":306,"attrs":307},"textStyle",{"color":308},"#000000",[],[],[312,330,394,411,553,580],{"id":16,"_uid":313,"content":314,"component":329},"60861bf6-86e0-4abb-8676-a7a8e115b66a",[315],{"_uid":316,"content":317,"component":328},"2f94f5d1-a0e4-48fe-a9bc-dedac7d24d83",{"type":12,"attrs":318,"content":319},{"backgroundColor":53},[320],{"type":15,"attrs":321,"content":322},{"textAlign":53},[323],{"text":324,"type":303,"marks":325},"Voices Shaping Safer Care is a blog series featuring reflections and experiences from people across health and social care in Canada. Through stories from patients, caregivers, healthcare providers, leaders and community partners, the series explores the everyday moments, relationships and systems that influence safety.",[326],{"type":327},"italic","simple-richtext","wysiwyg-program",{"id":16,"_uid":331,"content":332,"component":329},"53cbd73f-f975-461a-a8a3-acde2450126d",[333],{"_uid":334,"content":335,"component":328},"d653b6a4-0514-419a-8438-aa7e7ba95601",{"type":12,"attrs":336,"content":337},{"backgroundColor":53},[338,345,350,355,360,365,375,384,389],{"type":339,"attrs":340,"content":342},"heading",{"level":341,"textAlign":53},2,[343],{"text":344,"type":303},"One discipline, two care experiences ",{"type":15,"attrs":346,"content":347},{"textAlign":53},[348],{"text":349,"type":303},"It was a traumatic childhood experience that helped shape Sonia Isaac-Mann’s career in healthcare.  ",{"type":15,"attrs":351,"content":352},{"textAlign":53},[353],{"text":354,"type":303},"As a little girl, she squirmed in the dental chair and gripped her hand’s aunt in terror. Her dentist, oblivious to how to make her visit more culturally safe – and the fact that Isaac-Mann was about to squirm right out of her seat – leaned in to inject a numbing agent. The needle ended up in her arm. People three floors down could hear her screams and her aunt ended up with a broken finger. ",{"type":15,"attrs":356,"content":357},{"textAlign":53},[358],{"text":359,"type":303},"At the time, Isaac-Mann didn’t fully understand the trauma she was carrying. But as a citizen of the Listuguj Mi’gmaq First Nation, she knew her father had endured dental procedures as a test subject while in day school – just one example of how racism and colonial systems have negatively influenced patient safety for First Nations communities.  ",{"type":15,"attrs":361,"content":362},{"textAlign":53},[363],{"text":364,"type":303},"Years later, while pursuing a specialization at the University of Alberta, Isaac-Mann had a dental care experience that was exactly the opposite of her childhood one. Her practitioner understood the traumatic relationship First Nations people have with dental care, talked with her about her experience, and created a safe and comfortable space for the procedure to happen.  ",{"type":339,"attrs":366,"content":367},{"level":341,"textAlign":53},[368],{"text":369,"type":303,"marks":370},"Care that reflects the people it serves ",[371,373],{"type":306,"attrs":372},{"color":308},{"type":374},"bold",{"type":15,"attrs":376,"content":378},{"textAlign":377},"left",[379],{"text":380,"type":303,"marks":381},"By that time, Isaac-Mann realized something.",[382],{"type":306,"attrs":383},{"color":16},{"type":15,"attrs":385,"content":386},{"textAlign":377},[387],{"text":388,"type":303},"“Once I figured out how the [health] system is set up, I realized that I couldn’t go to medical school,” she says. “I needed administration experience. I needed to be able to influence policy change. And I needed to understand how the government works so that I can change those systems and change the policy.” ",{"type":15,"attrs":390,"content":391},{"textAlign":377},[392],{"text":393,"type":303},"For Isaac-Mann, her best opportunity to influence how people experience care wasn’t by becoming a doctor or nurse, even though those were the career paths she had been familiar with as a child. That’s why she believes more First Nations youth need to know that different types of healthcare careers are available to them.    ",{"id":16,"_uid":395,"items":396,"component":410},"5c3a72b3-2c5e-4909-b669-2b4c839d747c",[397],{"_uid":398,"image":399,"quote":401,"author":16,"component":409,"author_title":16},"bcf4765e-bd8d-487a-89e0-c734e8e576f1",{"id":53,"alt":53,"name":16,"focus":53,"title":53,"source":53,"filename":16,"copyright":53,"fieldtype":290,"meta_data":400},{},{"type":12,"attrs":402,"content":403},{"backgroundColor":53},[404],{"type":15,"attrs":405,"content":406},{"textAlign":53},[407],{"text":408,"type":303},"“The more control you have over your healthcare services, the better health outcomes you’re going to have.\"","quote-item","quote",{"id":16,"_uid":412,"content":413,"component":329},"d7d6abc6-df17-49fa-bcae-ca3c5db1494d",[414],{"_uid":415,"content":416,"component":328},"9275ca3b-2d67-4823-9b79-c1e00e18e251",{"type":12,"attrs":417,"content":418},{"backgroundColor":53},[419,424,429,434,442,482,496,504,523,528,533,538,543,548],{"type":15,"attrs":420,"content":421},{"textAlign":53},[422],{"text":423,"type":303},"Now the President and CEO of the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority, Isaac-Mann supports a First Nation-led organization that provides health program and services for its communities and citizens. ",{"type":15,"attrs":425,"content":426},{"textAlign":53},[427],{"text":428,"type":303},"First Nations-led models can also reduce the gaps and confusion created by overlapping federal and provincial responsibilities. By giving First Nations greater authority over how services are designed and delivered, they help create care that is more coordinated, responsive and culturally safe.",{"type":339,"attrs":430,"content":431},{"level":341,"textAlign":53},[432],{"text":433,"type":303},"Cultural safety by design, not by chance ",{"type":15,"attrs":435,"content":436},{"textAlign":53},[437],{"text":438,"type":303,"marks":439},"It is impossible to discuss culturally safer healthcare without first recognizing the systemic racism First Nations, Inuit and Métis people have experienced and continue to experience in accessing care. According to Isaac-Mann, naming racism explicitly, rather than as an unfortunate side effect of ‘cultural misunderstanding,’ can help to trigger change in organizations at the policy and standards level. ",[440],{"type":306,"attrs":441},{"color":16},{"type":15,"attrs":443,"content":444},{"textAlign":377},[445,450,462,467,477],{"text":446,"type":303,"marks":447},"She cites another BC-based example as a tool that can support organizations to address Indigenous-specific racism and build culturally safe healthcare environments. The ",[448],{"type":306,"attrs":449},{"color":16},{"text":451,"type":303,"marks":452},"British Columbia cultural safety and humility standard",[453,459],{"type":454,"attrs":455},"link",{"href":456,"uuid":53,"anchor":53,"custom":53,"target":457,"linktype":458},"https:\u002F\u002Fhealthstandards.org\u002Fstandard\u002Fcultural-safety-and-humility-standard\u002F","_blank","url",{"type":306,"attrs":460},{"color":461},"#3F358F",{"text":463,"type":303,"marks":464}," was introduced in 2022 by the BC First Nations Health Authority and the Health Standards Organization. The first tool of its kind in Canada, it responds to Recommendation 8 from the 2020 ",[465],{"type":306,"attrs":466},{"color":16},{"text":468,"type":303,"marks":469},"In Plain Sight report",[470,474,476],{"type":454,"attrs":471},{"href":472,"uuid":53,"anchor":53,"custom":473,"target":457,"linktype":458},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.nccih.ca\u002F634\u002FIn_Plain_Sight__Addressing_Indigenous-Specific_Racism_and_Discrimination_in_BC_Health_Care.nccih?id=2280&col=3",{},{"type":306,"attrs":475},{"color":461},{"type":327},{"text":478,"type":303,"marks":479}," that itself was a response to allegations about racism among staff at a Vancouver Island hospital. ",[480],{"type":306,"attrs":481},{"color":16},{"type":15,"attrs":483,"content":484},{"textAlign":377},[485,487,494],{"text":486,"type":303},"The ",{"text":488,"type":303,"marks":489},"National Cultural Safety and Humility Standard",[490],{"type":454,"attrs":491},{"href":492,"uuid":53,"anchor":53,"custom":493,"target":457,"linktype":458},"https:\u002F\u002Fhealthstandards.org\u002Fstandard\u002Fcultural-safety-and-humility\u002F",{},{"text":495,"type":303}," – launched in 2026 – builds on this work and specifies requirements of organizations\u002Finstitutions, leaders and teams to address racism experienced by First Nations, Inuit and Metis in health systems and improve cultural safety of services.  ",{"type":15,"attrs":497,"content":498},{"textAlign":377},[499],{"text":500,"type":303,"marks":501},"Isaac-Mann stresses that ultimately, it is the patient who determines whether care is truly culturally safe. That is where feedback from patients – combined with meaningful quality improvement initiatives – can make a difference. ",[502],{"type":306,"attrs":503},{"color":16},{"type":15,"attrs":505,"content":506},{"textAlign":377},[507,512,518],{"text":508,"type":303,"marks":509},"“Even as a First Nations organization, we need to make sure we are incorporating culturally safe practice within the services we have and any new programs we are developing,” she says of the efforts taking place at",[510],{"type":306,"attrs":511},{"color":16},{"text":513,"type":303,"marks":514}," ",[515,517],{"type":306,"attrs":516},{"color":16},{"type":374},{"text":519,"type":303,"marks":520},"the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority. ",[521],{"type":306,"attrs":522},{"color":16},{"type":339,"attrs":524,"content":525},{"level":341,"textAlign":377},[526],{"text":527,"type":303},"Sharing what’s working ",{"type":15,"attrs":529,"content":530},{"textAlign":377},[531],{"text":532,"type":303},"Hearing from patients within a specific health setting is one thing. Creating space for ongoing learning from other health organizations about their own efforts is a bigger undertaking that can fall by the wayside when time and resources are scarce.  ",{"type":15,"attrs":534,"content":535},{"textAlign":377},[536],{"text":537,"type":303},"But Isaac-Mann believes it’s one of the most valuable ways to continue advancing safer care across the country. She cites her own health authority’s experience with hostel care as a unique initiative that is beneficial to share. ",{"type":15,"attrs":539,"content":540},{"textAlign":53},[541],{"text":542,"type":303},"“We provide wraparound services to support people coming to Sioux Lookout from their First Nations community,” she explains. “As soon as they land here, we have medical transportation vans to pick them up and bring them to their hostel accommodation where they can access meals, activities and supports.” ",{"type":15,"attrs":544,"content":545},{"textAlign":53},[546],{"text":547,"type":303},"While this program has been the topic of knowledge exchange meetings with some organizations, there is opportunity for broader sharing. ",{"type":15,"attrs":549,"content":550},{"textAlign":53},[551],{"text":552,"type":303},"Isaac-Mann says it’s important for leaders to take time to come together and share best practices. “Historically, from a traditional perspective, First Nations would have come together as peoples and shared their knowledge about what’s working and what isn’t,” she says. “Learning from one another has been lost a bit. We’re talking about what a network of support for First Nations health leaders could look like. 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","998be582-4a60-4e6c-806b-4173e2c3217c",[669],{"_uid":670,"date":671,"image":672,"title":658,"author":16,"component":294,"description":677,"title_image":688},"8ebce8eb-b77d-4066-9d95-67f5e862d26a","2026-10-22 04:00",{"id":673,"alt":16,"name":16,"focus":16,"title":16,"source":16,"filename":674,"copyright":16,"fieldtype":290,"meta_data":675,"is_external_url":293},232769321540688,"https:\u002F\u002Fa-ca.storyblok.com\u002Ff\u002F850807391887861\u002F1800x1088\u002F14222600cf\u002Fblog-hero-jackie-en-1340x810.webp",{"size":676},"1800x1088",{"type":12,"attrs":678,"content":679},{"backgroundColor":53},[680],{"type":15,"attrs":681,"content":682},{"textAlign":53},[683],{"text":684,"type":303,"marks":685},"For Jackie DeCoteau-Gill, offering someone safety at end-of-life is what is owed to each of us as humans. Supporting people who are going to the spirit world is just as important as supporting birthing mothers, and she’s providing that support.",[686],{"type":306,"attrs":687},{"color":308},{"id":53,"alt":53,"name":16,"focus":53,"title":53,"filename":53,"copyright":53,"fieldtype":290,"meta_data":689,"is_external_url":293},{},[],[],[693,707,841,848],{"id":16,"_uid":694,"content":695,"component":329},"e196eae2-10a2-4e4c-b8ab-2db4b15d7380",[696],{"_uid":697,"content":698,"component":328},"e4705ad8-3cf9-4add-8c8b-59ac9c478787",{"type":12,"attrs":699,"content":700},{"backgroundColor":53},[701],{"type":15,"attrs":702,"content":703},{"textAlign":53},[704],{"text":324,"type":303,"marks":705},[706],{"type":327},{"id":16,"_uid":708,"content":709,"component":329},"3be08418-0d5f-4fbd-add9-8065e0957905",[710],{"_uid":711,"content":712,"component":328},"49ba9585-e0ad-4eed-bac2-c3ed9d514fdb",{"type":12,"attrs":713,"content":714},{"backgroundColor":53},[715,720,725,730,735,740,745,750,755,760,765,770,775,780,786,791,796,801,806,811,816,821,826,831,836],{"type":15,"attrs":716,"content":717},{"textAlign":53},[718],{"text":719,"type":303},"Working across both formal and informal care settings, Jackie DeCoteau-Gill supports First Nations, Inuit and Métis people and families through some of life's most important transitions. She is known in her community as a safe person who sees and holds the whole of who they are. To her, safer care isn't delivered or provided – it's offered and created through the power of human connection. ",{"type":339,"attrs":721,"content":722},{"level":341,"textAlign":53},[723],{"text":724,"type":303},"Safety lives in the spaces we hold for one another ",{"type":15,"attrs":726,"content":727},{"textAlign":53},[728],{"text":729,"type":303},"When she speaks of her work providing palliative care to First Nations, Inuit and Métis individuals and families in Edmonton, Alberta, not once does Jackie DeCoteau-Gill use the word ‘patient.’ ",{"type":15,"attrs":731,"content":732},{"textAlign":53},[733],{"text":734,"type":303},"“I’m not working for the system – I’m working for you as a person,” she says. “Technically, I’m a death doula – but I call myself a palliative care auntie. I just notice I’m able to break down barriers.” ",{"type":15,"attrs":736,"content":737},{"textAlign":53},[738],{"text":739,"type":303},"DeCoteau-Gill has many roles as an auntie – from birth to death, including supporting families through the grief of a loved one’s journey back to the spirit world. She founded Kokums Helper Society in Edmonton, and her goal is to create an Indigenous end-of-life care centre in Edmonton. This is all on top of being a trusted source of guidance for people in her community – a calling that is grounded in a heart-centred approach of seeing people for who they are. ",{"type":15,"attrs":741,"content":742},{"textAlign":53},[743],{"text":744,"type":303},"“From a community perspective, I am that auntie who loves you and just cares for you no matter what you do,” says DeCoteau-Gill. “And that’s of value.” ",{"type":15,"attrs":746,"content":747},{"textAlign":53},[748],{"text":749,"type":303},"DeCoteau-Gill speaks of safety not as something one provides or delivers, but as a state of being – a connection that one can offer or feel: “To me, being a safe person is working from my heart, not from a checklist or in ways that look at saving money,” she says. “I have a toolbox of things to help you figure out what you need to feel connected and safe.” ",{"type":339,"attrs":751,"content":752},{"level":341,"textAlign":53},[753],{"text":754,"type":303},"From barriers to belonging ",{"type":15,"attrs":756,"content":757},{"textAlign":53},[758],{"text":759,"type":303},"DeCoteau-Gill recalled a community member who was facing end-of-life: “He was quite religious, and he was really scared of what was going to happen to him,” DeCoteau-Gill remembers. “I said to him, ‘you’ll go to a good place and one day, I’ll be able to pray to you. All this human craziness will be gone and you’ll just be light.’” ",{"type":15,"attrs":761,"content":762},{"textAlign":53},[763],{"text":764,"type":303},"To DeCoteau-Gill, offering someone safety at end-of-life is simply what is owed to each of us as humans. “When you have value as a person, no matter what your role is, it naturally creates a sense of safety because you’re able to ask questions and to see that you belong – you fit in, no matter what,” she explains. “Just as we never leave birthing mothers alone, why wouldn’t we support people who are going to the spirit world to help relieve some of the unknown?” ",{"type":339,"attrs":766,"content":767},{"level":341,"textAlign":53},[768],{"text":769,"type":303},"When safer care takes root ",{"type":15,"attrs":771,"content":772},{"textAlign":53},[773],{"text":774,"type":303},"DeCoteau-Gill began reconnecting with her culture as an adult – a journey that has shaped the wisdom she now offers to community members through all of life's stages. ",{"type":15,"attrs":776,"content":777},{"textAlign":53},[778],{"text":779,"type":303},"As a cultural helper who offers care during some of people’s most meaningful moments, she believes there are three interconnected things that matter most when it comes to supporting Indigenous people in a safe way, and they’re about showing up with and for one another. ",{"type":339,"attrs":781,"content":783},{"level":782,"textAlign":53},3,[784],{"text":785,"type":303},"Care that’s grounded in culture ",{"type":15,"attrs":787,"content":788},{"textAlign":53},[789],{"text":790,"type":303},"“The hill I’ll die on is that Indigenous people need to look after Indigenous people,” says DeCoteau-Gill. “People don’t realize how much trauma we still carry. When you’re an Indigenous person working for an Indigenous person, you see that load and can help them unpack it a little bit at a time.” ",{"type":15,"attrs":792,"content":793},{"textAlign":53},[794],{"text":795,"type":303},"DeCoteau-Gill emphasizes how important it is for Indigenous people to have the freedom to practice their culture, the seasonality of which is central to caring for the community as a whole – even if it doesn’t align with the schedules of a typical colonial work structure. ",{"type":15,"attrs":797,"content":798},{"textAlign":53},[799],{"text":800,"type":303},"“The summertime is a busy ceremony time and harvesting time in my community. That’s when I gather medicine for use during the year and pick sweetgrass for people,” she explains. “So when we ask for time off work, we’re actually working hard to get the things we need to do our work and be good community members. In order for us to be connected, have teachings, and care for our being, we need a different type of work-life schedule.” ",{"type":339,"attrs":802,"content":803},{"level":782,"textAlign":53},[804],{"text":805,"type":303},"Care that supports the whole person ",{"type":15,"attrs":807,"content":808},{"textAlign":53},[809],{"text":810,"type":303},"To DeCoteau-Gill, care is about people. That means focusing on the well-being of the whole person at a fundamentally human level – not just the symptoms they are presenting, and not trying to rush through an appointment, but understanding and tending to a person as a whole. ",{"type":15,"attrs":812,"content":813},{"textAlign":53},[814],{"text":815,"type":303},"“Indigenous people have teachings in our heart,” she says. “When I apply for a health grant, I have to quantify how many dollars I’m saving – but really, I’m looking at somebody within their four dimensions. 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",{"type":15,"attrs":827,"content":828},{"textAlign":53},[829],{"text":830,"type":303},"“If you’re looking at care with a Western lens, you might have a somatic therapist, a doctor and a support worker and they’re all doing independent jobs,” she explains. “Whereas in Indigenous ways of ceremony and governance, it’s taking care of the same things within community where everybody’s working together.” ",{"type":15,"attrs":832,"content":833},{"textAlign":53},[834],{"text":835,"type":303},"Not only does this make the care experience more seamless for the person being cared for, it also means they don’t have to retraumatize themselves by repeating their story to different people. 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Every question is an opportunity to learn something new and consider what could be done differently. That mindset keeps improvement moving - and shows how safer, more person-centred care is shaped in everyday moments. ",[246],[],[916,930,1002,1017,1050,1065,1143,1166,1191,1196],{"id":16,"_uid":917,"content":918,"component":329},"94c55b01-f323-4366-b507-bec439521259",[919],{"_uid":920,"content":921,"component":328},"fc3bfc44-3a6e-4db0-9854-4ed6543a767a",{"type":12,"attrs":922,"content":923},{"backgroundColor":53},[924],{"type":15,"attrs":925,"content":926},{"textAlign":53},[927],{"text":324,"type":303,"marks":928},[929],{"type":327},{"id":16,"_uid":931,"content":932,"component":329},"b2c4bad8-7e6c-4c04-8c7a-60a55fa1586a",[933],{"_uid":934,"content":935,"component":328},"58882b93-3058-4a17-aeb9-3edc5110d867",{"type":12,"attrs":936,"content":937},{"backgroundColor":53},[938,946,951,956,961,966,971,987,992,997],{"type":339,"attrs":939,"content":940},{"level":341,"textAlign":53},[941],{"text":942,"type":303,"marks":943},"A behaviour can tell you that something is wrong. It can’t tell you who someone is. ",[944],{"type":306,"attrs":945},{"color":16},{"type":15,"attrs":947,"content":948},{"textAlign":53},[949],{"text":950,"type":303},"“I want to learn who this person is.” That was Victoria Marek’s response when a resident at Riverview Health Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, was having difficult interactions with others in a shared television lounge. Marek, Director of Resident Care and Allied Health, sat down with him. Their conversation gave her context the behaviour couldn’t: the life he had lived, the independence he was accustomed to and how much he valued his privacy. Staff found him a quieter place to watch television. Marek kept listening. Was there something he missed? ",{"type":15,"attrs":952,"content":953},{"textAlign":53},[954],{"text":955,"type":303},"“Fresh fruit,” he said. ",{"type":15,"attrs":957,"content":958},{"textAlign":53},[959],{"text":960,"type":303},"They began bringing him fresh fruit each week. Soon, staff noticed that he seemed happier, smiling and laughing more. She calls it a “little win,” the kind worth remembering because, however small, “it matters in someone’s life.”  ",{"type":15,"attrs":962,"content":963},{"textAlign":53},[964],{"text":965,"type":303},"Marek knows fresh fruit may not always be the answer. But she believes they owe every resident the due diligence of understanding what they may be communicating before deciding what comes next. “I’ll buy apples every day if that’s going to make a difference,” she says.  ",{"type":339,"attrs":967,"content":968},{"level":341,"textAlign":53},[969],{"text":970,"type":303},"What more can we do?",{"type":15,"attrs":972,"content":973},{"textAlign":53},[974,976,985],{"text":975,"type":303},"Riverview is home to 257 people across its personal care and Dementia Care communities, each with their own histories, routines and ways of communicating. For the team, safer care starts with understanding those differences and creating the conditions for residents, families, care partners and staff to contribute to decisions about care. That thinking also shaped Riverview’s approach to the appropriate use of antipsychotics, work that began well before the organization joined Healthcare Excellence Canada’s ",{"text":977,"type":303,"marks":978},"Sparking Change in the Appropriate Use of Antipsychotics",[979],{"type":454,"attrs":980},{"href":981,"uuid":982,"anchor":53,"custom":983,"target":984,"linktype":559},"\u002Fprograms\u002Fsparking-change","a3c98562-a1c5-45cd-9303-9a32020bf25f",{},"_self",{"text":986,"type":303}," program. ",{"type":15,"attrs":988,"content":989},{"textAlign":53},[990],{"text":991,"type":303},"From May 2023 to May 2024, Riverview trained nurses and healthcare aides in Gentle Persuasive Approaches (GPA®), introduced a deprescribing toolkit and used quarterly medication reviews. The experience showed them where change had been difficult to sustain and where they could go further. ",{"type":15,"attrs":993,"content":994},{"textAlign":53},[995],{"text":996,"type":303},"Through Sparking Change, they deliberately focused on a community where they expected change might be challenging. They expanded education beyond nurses and healthcare aides, strengthened partnerships with residents, families and care partners, leveraged interdisciplinary safety huddles and took a team-based approach to antipsychotic medication reviews. The goal was to involve more of the people who knew residents well and give them a meaningful role in decisions about their care. ",{"type":15,"attrs":998,"content":999},{"textAlign":53},[1000],{"text":1001,"type":303},"Safer care is shaped by many perspectives. The people who know a resident well often know them in different ways. As the eyes and ears of a home, healthcare aides can notice subtle changes in people’s behaviour. Families and care partners bring a lifetime of knowledge about the relationships, experiences and routines that shaped who someone is. Housekeeping, clerical and other support staff often come to know residents through conversations and interactions that happen outside formal care. ",{"id":16,"_uid":1003,"items":1004,"component":410},"678b61c4-b9e2-4e93-bef8-850b7b4a731c",[1005],{"_uid":1006,"image":1007,"quote":1009,"author":16,"component":409,"author_title":16},"f8406350-07aa-4e5a-b42d-a21eea22a106",{"id":53,"alt":53,"name":16,"focus":53,"title":53,"source":53,"filename":16,"copyright":53,"fieldtype":290,"meta_data":1008},{},{"type":12,"attrs":1010,"content":1011},{"backgroundColor":53},[1012],{"type":15,"attrs":1013,"content":1014},{"textAlign":53},[1015],{"text":1016,"type":303},"\"What is this resident trying to tell us?\"",{"id":16,"_uid":1018,"content":1019,"component":329},"60b71f4f-7105-4d4d-a650-2a0a49cf65e0",[1020],{"_uid":1021,"content":1022,"component":328},"15bff525-b003-42d9-9bba-2a4df0cd272d",{"type":12,"attrs":1023,"content":1024},{"backgroundColor":53},[1025,1030,1035,1040,1045],{"type":15,"attrs":1026,"content":1027},{"textAlign":53},[1028],{"text":1029,"type":303},"For Jenelle Masi, a Clinical Resource Nurse at Riverview, bringing those perspectives into the conversation has changed the question teams ask. Instead of “What medication can we use to manage this behaviour?” she says they are increasingly asking, “What is this resident trying to tell us?” ",{"type":15,"attrs":1031,"content":1032},{"textAlign":53},[1033],{"text":1034,"type":303}," Over the course of Sparking Change, the team worked to ensure antipsychotics were used only when necessary and as safely as possible, with reductions, increases and discontinuations tailored to each resident. In total, 11 of 22 residents had their medication reduced or discontinued. Most experienced no change in behaviours or symptoms, while others showed improvements including less drowsiness and greater participation. When symptoms worsened, teams responded with individualized strategies. ",{"type":15,"attrs":1036,"content":1037},{"textAlign":53},[1038],{"text":1039,"type":303},"By the end of Sparking Change, all staff in the participating community had completed Person Directed Living education. Among residents, families and care partners who participated in education, average self-reported knowledge increased from 1.8 to 4.2 out of five. The education covered dementia and responsive behaviours, antipsychotic medications, associated risks and supportive approaches. Riverview also observed families and care partners asking more questions about their loved ones’ antipsychotic medications, including questions about dose reductions. ",{"type":339,"attrs":1041,"content":1042},{"level":341,"textAlign":53},[1043],{"text":1044,"type":303},"What if we tried something different?",{"type":15,"attrs":1046,"content":1047},{"textAlign":53},[1048],{"text":1049,"type":303},"Riverview is now taking that commitment to knowing the person across the organization. The team is developing “Getting to Know Me” profiles for all 257 residents, capturing the preferences, routines and personal details that can help staff understand who someone is, how they communicate and what matters to them. ",{"id":16,"_uid":1051,"items":1052,"component":410},"1ed48859-1f4c-4f00-aa77-d85414f1bb0b",[1053],{"_uid":1054,"image":1055,"quote":1057,"author":16,"component":409,"author_title":16},"10bc4d75-95e9-403e-a2e2-ec8a50900650",{"id":53,"alt":53,"name":16,"focus":53,"title":53,"source":53,"filename":16,"copyright":53,"fieldtype":290,"meta_data":1056},{},{"type":12,"attrs":1058,"content":1059},{"backgroundColor":53},[1060],{"type":15,"attrs":1061,"content":1062},{"textAlign":53},[1063],{"text":1064,"type":303},"“The big thing is to teach people that they’re empowered to make decisions and to make changes.” ",{"id":16,"_uid":1066,"content":1067,"component":329},"78c0fc75-fcb4-4e65-8ea0-e4ac0345ec54",[1068],{"_uid":1069,"content":1070,"component":328},"c332ba1d-2e2e-4c3f-9533-ddb49230c604",{"type":12,"attrs":1071,"content":1072},{"backgroundColor":53},[1073,1078,1083,1119,1127,1135],{"type":15,"attrs":1074,"content":1075},{"textAlign":53},[1076],{"text":1077,"type":303},"For Marek, knowing the person also changes what staff can do in the moment. That thinking is being embedded into a new safe work procedure for supporting people who may communicate with physical actions rather than verbally. Drawing on Gentle Persuasive Approaches and Person Directed Living training, it encourages staff to pause, consider the person’s needs and cues and think about how they communicate before deciding how to respond. ",{"type":15,"attrs":1079,"content":1080},{"textAlign":53},[1081],{"text":1082,"type":303},"Marek wants that pause to create room for questions, too. “Why are we doing it this way? Is there a better way? Can we do something different?” she asks. “Just because we’ve done something a certain way doesn’t mean we need to keep doing it.” ",{"type":15,"attrs":1084,"content":1085},{"textAlign":53},[1086,1091,1098,1103,1114],{"text":1087,"type":303,"marks":1088},"Those everyday moments of curiosity — listening, questioning and feeling empowered to act — are part of what shapes safer care at Riverview, and are",[1089],{"type":306,"attrs":1090},{"color":308},{"text":513,"type":303,"marks":1092},[1093,1096],{"type":306,"attrs":1094},{"color":1095},"#D13438",{"type":1097},"underline",{"text":1099,"type":303,"marks":1100},"carrying Riverview into its next phase of improvement. The organization has joined the ",[1101],{"type":306,"attrs":1102},{"color":308},{"text":1104,"type":303,"marks":1105},"Manitoba Appropriate Use of Antipsychotics in Long-Term Care Collaborative",[1106,1111],{"type":454,"attrs":1107},{"href":1108,"uuid":1109,"anchor":53,"custom":1110,"target":984,"linktype":559},"\u002Fprograms\u002Fmanitoba-aua-long-term-care-collaborative","1e30feb0-bfb9-42fb-b1c4-739ecfc04434",{},{"type":306,"attrs":1112},{"color":1113},"#467886",{"text":1115,"type":303,"marks":1116}," to continue learning and spread successful practices across its communities.",[1117],{"type":306,"attrs":1118},{"color":308},{"type":15,"attrs":1120,"content":1121},{"textAlign":53},[1122],{"text":1123,"type":303,"marks":1124}," “There’s no finish line to this, ever,” says Marek. “It’s a culture. It’s not a project.” ",[1125],{"type":306,"attrs":1126},{"color":308},{"type":15,"attrs":1128,"content":1129},{"textAlign":53},[1130],{"text":1131,"type":303,"marks":1132},"During Canadian Patient Safety Week 2026, we’re exploring What Shapes Safer Care? At Riverview, it can start with something as simple — and important — as knowing the person. ",[1133],{"type":306,"attrs":1134},{"color":308},{"type":15,"attrs":1136,"content":1137},{"textAlign":53},[1138],{"text":1139,"type":303,"marks":1140},"Personal Care Homes across Manitoba can join Riverview and other participating homes to learn from each other and build on their work to improve the appropriate use of antipsychotics. ",[1141],{"type":306,"attrs":1142},{"color":308},{"id":16,"_uid":1144,"link":1145,"image":1151,"title":1155,"video_id":16,"component":1156,"media_type":1157,"description":1158,"video_title":16},"f8135933-c585-4f30-9709-03c8271b99b1",[1146],{"_uid":1147,"link":1148,"label":1150,"component":568},"94293951-fce2-4c3b-adbc-aa497881a0cf",{"id":1109,"url":16,"linktype":559,"fieldtype":560,"cached_url":1149},"programs\u002Fmanitoba-aua-long-term-care-collaborative","​​Join the collaborative​ ",{"id":1152,"alt":16,"name":16,"focus":16,"title":16,"source":16,"filename":1153,"copyright":16,"fieldtype":290,"meta_data":1154,"is_external_url":293},171902297804273,"https:\u002F\u002Fa-ca.storyblok.com\u002Ff\u002F850807391887861\u002F1340x950\u002F2e28fbd220\u002Fhero-program-manitoba-aua.webp",{},"​​Apply for the Manitoba AUA Collaborative​ ","info-block-program","image",{"type":12,"attrs":1159,"content":1160},{"backgroundColor":53},[1161],{"type":15,"attrs":1162,"content":1163},{"textAlign":53},[1164],{"text":1165,"type":303},"​​Personal Care Homes across Manitoba can join Riverview and other participating homes to learn from each other and build on their work to improve the appropriate use of antipsychotics.​ ",{"id":16,"_uid":1167,"items":1168,"component":617},"ce628aff-3f2b-4ac7-b5b6-16d83cfbab6b",[1169],{"_uid":1170,"link":1171,"image":1175,"title":16,"component":599,"description":1177},"583369d3-2231-4552-937f-0979be2d834e",[1172],{"_uid":1173,"link":1174,"label":594,"component":568},"19263de7-2abc-402c-8279-254fa4f72d83",{"id":589,"url":16,"linktype":559,"fieldtype":560,"cached_url":590},{"id":596,"alt":16,"name":16,"focus":16,"title":16,"source":16,"filename":597,"copyright":16,"fieldtype":290,"meta_data":1176,"is_external_url":293},{},{"type":12,"attrs":1178,"content":1179},{"backgroundColor":53},[1180,1187],{"type":15,"attrs":1181,"content":1182},{"textAlign":53},[1183,1184],{"text":607,"type":303},{"text":609,"type":303,"marks":1185},[1186],{"type":374},{"type":15,"attrs":1188,"content":1189},{"textAlign":53},[1190],{"text":616,"type":303},{"id":16,"cta":1192,"_uid":1193,"items":1194,"title":1195,"component":579},[],"994f6bae-b918-4c8b-98cc-30838b0200ad",[558,589],"Canadian Patient Safety Week 2026",{"id":16,"cta":1197,"_uid":1201,"items":1202,"title":578,"component":579},[1198],{"_uid":1199,"link":1200,"label":567,"component":568},"fc869218-944e-458d-9714-ef63305a03a6",{"id":558,"url":16,"linktype":559,"fieldtype":560,"cached_url":561},"ed1ff535-f705-4faf-a348-f1927080d623",[577,275,573,574,575,576,571],[],"what-if-safer-care-starts-with-knowing-the-person","updates\u002Fwhat-if-safer-care-starts-with-knowing-the-person",-9430,[],"ab5bd498-0227-4a94-a7d1-9a7f8fcd5505","2026-08-25T14:11:51.154Z",[],[1212],{"path":1213,"name":1214,"lang":633,"published":566},"actualites-et-perspectives\u002Fet-si-des-soins-plus-surs-commencaient-par-mieux-connaitre-la-personne","Et si des soins plus sûrs commençaient par mieux connaître la personne?",{"name":1216,"created_at":1217,"published_at":1218,"updated_at":1219,"id":1220,"uuid":573,"content":1221,"slug":1554,"full_slug":1555,"sort_by_date":53,"position":1556,"tag_list":1557,"is_startpage":293,"parent_id":624,"meta_data":53,"group_id":1558,"first_published_at":1559,"release_id":53,"lang":627,"path":53,"alternates":1560,"default_full_slug":1555,"translated_slugs":1561},"Shaping Safer Care Through Partnership ","2026-09-10T19:42:22.799Z","2026-10-22T19:12:44.359Z","2026-10-22T19:12:44.423Z",218643426669544,{"seo":1222,"_uid":1226,"hero":1227,"types":1245,"topics":1246,"Noindex":293,"content":1247,"audience":1553,"component":619},{"_uid":1223,"title":1224,"plugin":280,"og_image":16,"og_title":16,"description":1225,"twitter_image":16,"twitter_title":16,"og_description":16,"twitter_description":16},"cee1732c-2df3-4bae-aa92-dad62f4aba2a","Shaping Safer Care Through Partnership | Voices Shaping Safer Care Blog Series","Every year, World Patient Safety Day provides an important opportunity to recognize patient safety as a global health priority and reflect on what each of us can do to make care safer.","e0bbc689-7825-427e-b606-de67a31d2cc0",[1228],{"_uid":1229,"date":1230,"image":1231,"title":1216,"author":16,"component":294,"description":1237},"a904e118-43b9-4b7c-9ade-2472b5d5c0d6","2026-09-17 00:00",{"id":1232,"alt":1233,"name":16,"focus":16,"title":16,"source":16,"filename":1234,"copyright":16,"fieldtype":290,"meta_data":1235,"is_external_url":293},218879648946357,"Heather Thiessen smiling at the camera.","https:\u002F\u002Fa-ca.storyblok.com\u002Ff\u002F850807391887861\u002F3103x1876\u002Fd80757396a\u002Fblog-hero-wpsd-en-1340x810.webp",{"alt":1233,"size":1236,"title":16,"source":16,"copyright":16},"3103x1876",{"type":12,"attrs":1238,"content":1239},{"backgroundColor":53},[1240],{"type":15,"attrs":1241,"content":1242},{"textAlign":53},[1243],{"text":1244,"type":303},"Every year, World Patient Safety Day provides an important opportunity to recognize patient safety as a global health priority and reflect on what each of us can do to make care safer. ",[246],[32,76],[1248,1262,1304,1319,1348,1363,1391,1444,1460,1488,1513,1546],{"id":16,"_uid":1249,"content":1250,"component":329},"9cf9d59a-46e2-409d-a3e5-a4c75f59caca",[1251],{"_uid":1252,"content":1253,"component":328},"7109026b-0edf-4301-8969-b95dd85a9e3a",{"type":12,"attrs":1254,"content":1255},{"backgroundColor":53},[1256],{"type":15,"attrs":1257,"content":1258},{"textAlign":53},[1259],{"text":324,"type":303,"marks":1260},[1261],{"type":327},{"id":16,"_uid":1263,"content":1264,"component":329},"d8902048-d1b2-47a9-bde0-671387da99ab",[1265],{"_uid":1266,"content":1267,"component":328},"3759bc80-8b98-4ee8-9c94-b0a271d9fee4",{"type":12,"attrs":1268,"content":1269},{"backgroundColor":53},[1270,1275,1280,1285,1290],{"type":15,"attrs":1271,"content":1272},{"textAlign":53},[1273],{"text":1274,"type":303},"This year, World Patient Safety Day on September 17 focuses on safe care for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), under the slogan Safe care for life! The theme draws attention to the importance of safe, high-quality care for people who may have ongoing interactions with healthcare over many years or throughout their lives. ",{"type":15,"attrs":1276,"content":1277},{"textAlign":53},[1278],{"text":1279,"type":303},"It is also an opportunity to recognize something that extends across healthcare: safe care is shaped by all of us. ",{"type":15,"attrs":1281,"content":1282},{"textAlign":53},[1283],{"text":1284,"type":303},"For Heather Thiessen, a member of Healthcare Excellence Canada’s Board of Directors and a patient partner, that understanding has been shaped by years of lived experience. Heather lives with two chronic neurological conditions and has experienced multiple hospitalizations and ongoing interactions with the health system. ",{"type":15,"attrs":1286,"content":1287},{"textAlign":53},[1288],{"text":1289,"type":303},"Heather remembers receiving care in a healthcare system that was largely system-centred, where patients and families were not routinely invited into conversations or decisions about their own care. For Heather, asking questions could be difficult and, over time, she learned to stay quiet.  ",{"type":15,"attrs":1291,"content":1292},{"textAlign":53},[1293,1295,1302],{"text":1294,"type":303},"A significant shift came with ",{"text":1296,"type":303,"marks":1297},"Saskatchewan’s 2009 Patient First Review,",[1298],{"type":454,"attrs":1299},{"href":1300,"uuid":53,"anchor":53,"custom":1301,"target":457,"linktype":458},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.saskatchewan.ca\u002Fgovernment\u002Fnews-and-media\u002F2009\u002Foctober\u002F15\u002Fpatient-first-review-commissioner-calls-for-more-caring-better-coordinated-health-system",{},{"text":1303,"type":303}," which called for a more patient and family-centred approach to care. For Heather, that change in philosophy opened the door to participating in conversations about her own health and well-being where she had not always felt welcome. ",{"id":16,"_uid":1305,"items":1306,"component":410},"3aeff93a-860d-41a4-a26a-3541cbbd88d9",[1307],{"_uid":1308,"image":1309,"quote":1311,"author":16,"component":409,"author_title":16},"75cba2bb-64e5-4a72-9c03-9e9481dd034c",{"id":53,"alt":53,"name":16,"focus":53,"title":53,"source":53,"filename":16,"copyright":53,"fieldtype":290,"meta_data":1310},{},{"type":12,"attrs":1312,"content":1313},{"backgroundColor":53},[1314],{"type":15,"attrs":1315,"content":1316},{"textAlign":53},[1317],{"text":1318,"type":303},"\"Being sick and thrust into what I call 'hospital-land' can be downright scary and overwhelming. Being included in discussions and asked what you think can bring back some control into a very out-of-control world.\" ",{"id":16,"_uid":1320,"link":1321,"image":1322,"title":1328,"video_id":16,"component":1329,"video_mp4":1330,"media_type":1157,"video_type":1332,"description":1333,"video_title":16,"video_mp4_thumbnail":1346},"a80f93ac-07f3-4c89-87cb-ecccd9ebdc50",[],{"id":1323,"alt":1324,"name":16,"focus":16,"title":16,"source":16,"filename":1325,"copyright":16,"fieldtype":290,"meta_data":1326,"is_external_url":293},218881247508663,"Heather Thiessen standing beside a CT scanner in a medical imaging room.","https:\u002F\u002Fa-ca.storyblok.com\u002Ff\u002F850807391887861\u002F1002x604\u002F7c29c7bccf\u002Fheather-and-ct-scan.webp",{"alt":1324,"size":1327,"title":16,"source":16,"copyright":16},"1002x604","Safe care at every interaction ","text-media",{"id":53,"alt":53,"name":16,"focus":53,"title":53,"source":53,"filename":16,"copyright":53,"fieldtype":290,"meta_data":1331},{},"youtube",{"type":12,"attrs":1334,"content":1335},{"backgroundColor":53},[1336,1341],{"type":15,"attrs":1337,"content":1338},{"textAlign":53},[1339],{"text":1340,"type":303},"For people who regularly interact with healthcare, safety is about more than what happens during an individual appointment, procedure or hospital stay. Clear communication, continuity and opportunities to be active partners in care matter too. These help ensure that information is shared, concerns are heard and care reflects the person’s needs. ",{"type":15,"attrs":1342,"content":1343},{"textAlign":53},[1344],{"text":1345,"type":303},"For Heather, meaningful involvement starts with respectful conversations and recognition of the expertise that comes from living with an illness. She sees this in her relationship with her neurologist. They develop her care plans together, drawing on both clinical expertise and Heather’s knowledge of her own health and experiences. ",{"id":53,"alt":53,"name":16,"focus":53,"title":53,"source":53,"filename":16,"copyright":53,"fieldtype":290,"meta_data":1347},{},{"id":16,"_uid":1349,"items":1350,"component":410},"9adf503c-a5b7-45db-91dc-453e66bee87b",[1351],{"_uid":1352,"image":1353,"quote":1355,"author":16,"component":409,"author_title":16},"d68d2426-daf3-49d6-a427-cf9fa9349c52",{"id":53,"alt":53,"name":16,"focus":53,"title":53,"source":53,"filename":16,"copyright":53,"fieldtype":290,"meta_data":1354},{},{"type":12,"attrs":1356,"content":1357},{"backgroundColor":53},[1358],{"type":15,"attrs":1359,"content":1360},{"textAlign":53},[1361],{"text":1362,"type":303},"\"These relationships take time to grow but are so worth the wait in the long run. She knows I know myself and my illnesses the best.\" ",{"id":16,"_uid":1364,"content":1365,"component":329},"4c9bdafa-5761-4ee1-a233-21718e46d50c",[1366],{"_uid":1367,"content":1368,"component":328},"6ffe4a56-9acc-4c02-a028-3ab2a32b343a",{"type":12,"attrs":1369,"content":1370},{"backgroundColor":53},[1371,1376,1381,1386],{"type":15,"attrs":1372,"content":1373},{"textAlign":53},[1374],{"text":1375,"type":303},"Heather has also experienced what it can mean when a care plan reflects what matters to the person receiving care. In one instance, she worked with her care team to develop and document a plan in advance of a potential medical emergency.  ",{"type":15,"attrs":1377,"content":1378},{"textAlign":53},[1379],{"text":1380,"type":303},"When a situation later arose, Heather was able to remind her care team about the plan and knew they were already prepared to follow it.",{"type":15,"attrs":1382,"content":1383},{"textAlign":53},[1384],{"text":1385,"type":303},"\"All I could say was, 'Remember my plan.' They said, 'We are all ready and prepared.'\" ",{"type":15,"attrs":1387,"content":1388},{"textAlign":53},[1389],{"text":1390,"type":303},"For Heather, the experienced reinforced how partnership and communications work together to shape safer care. Creating a care plan together mattered, as did knowing that all the people caring for her understood it and were ready to act.  ",{"id":16,"_uid":1392,"content":1393,"component":329},"5321cd42-d89e-43f3-8eca-07e49bf114bc",[1394],{"_uid":1395,"content":1396,"component":328},"285d78da-4fa4-4ee7-a16d-b8961e1efdbe",{"type":12,"attrs":1397,"content":1398},{"backgroundColor":53},[1399,1404,1409,1414,1419,1424,1429,1434,1439],{"type":339,"attrs":1400,"content":1401},{"level":341,"textAlign":53},[1402],{"text":1403,"type":303},"Creating the conditions for partnership ",{"type":15,"attrs":1405,"content":1406},{"textAlign":53},[1407],{"text":1408,"type":303},"Making care safer is a shared responsibility. ",{"type":15,"attrs":1410,"content":1411},{"textAlign":53},[1412],{"text":1413,"type":303},"For people receiving care and their care partners, that can include asking questions, sharing what matters to them and participating in decisions about their care in ways that feel right for them. ",{"type":15,"attrs":1415,"content":1416},{"textAlign":53},[1417],{"text":1418,"type":303},"For people providing care, it can mean listening, communicating clearly and recognizing the knowledge and expertise that patients and care partners bring. ",{"type":15,"attrs":1420,"content":1421},{"textAlign":53},[1422],{"text":1423,"type":303},"For healthcare leaders and organizations, it means creating the conditions where partnership, communication, coordination and learning are embedded in how care is designed and delivered. ",{"type":15,"attrs":1425,"content":1426},{"textAlign":53},[1427],{"text":1428,"type":303},"Heather also emphasizes that meaningful partnership will not look the same for every person. Not everyone will want to participate in their care in the same way, and some people may not feel ready to do so. ",{"type":15,"attrs":1430,"content":1431},{"textAlign":53},[1432],{"text":1433,"type":303},"\"Some patients may not want to do this, but that offer must always be out there and the invitation always given. Someday they may feel brave enough to do this.\" ",{"type":15,"attrs":1435,"content":1436},{"textAlign":53},[1437],{"text":1438,"type":303},"Heather has spent more than a decade bringing her lived experience to healthcare improvement as a patient partner at the local, provincial and national levels. She encourages healthcare organizations that may still be hesitant to involve patients and families to take that step.  ",{"type":15,"attrs":1440,"content":1441},{"textAlign":53},[1442],{"text":1443,"type":303},"An important part of that work for Heather has also been engaging with students across healthcare disciplines. Bringing lived experience into the education of future healthcare providers creates an opportunity for students to hear directly from patients and families as they develop their own approaches to care. For Heather, working with the next generation of healthcare providers is an important part of creating lasting change in the healthcare system. ",{"id":16,"_uid":1445,"items":1446,"component":410},"27dea91d-5cfe-4019-9a1b-e883c9ae1b5e",[1447],{"_uid":1448,"image":1449,"quote":1451,"author":1459,"component":409,"author_title":16},"19077591-b69f-4b32-9c7b-a3ec0c8bfb7b",{"id":53,"alt":53,"name":16,"focus":53,"title":53,"source":53,"filename":16,"copyright":53,"fieldtype":290,"meta_data":1450},{},{"type":12,"attrs":1452,"content":1453},{"backgroundColor":53},[1454],{"type":15,"attrs":1455,"content":1456},{"textAlign":53},[1457],{"text":1458,"type":303},"\"Patients and families often want to partner in their care, but they may be scared or unsure how to do that. They know they don’t want others to experience some of the things they have gone through, and their voices are critical to shaping change for the future. Together, we can make care safer.” ","Heather Thiessen",{"id":16,"_uid":1461,"content":1462,"component":329},"cb3e7882-d2c3-4d64-b551-acc4b12a5608",[1463],{"_uid":1464,"content":1465,"component":328},"a995afed-455b-457b-ae45-691d3a387bf7",{"type":12,"attrs":1466,"content":1467},{"backgroundColor":53},[1468,1473,1478],{"type":15,"attrs":1469,"content":1470},{"textAlign":53},[1471],{"text":1472,"type":303},"For Heather, those opportunities for partnership can help shape a more inclusive healthcare experience for the people who come next. ",{"type":15,"attrs":1474,"content":1475},{"textAlign":53},[1476],{"text":1477,"type":303},"This World Patient Safety Day, Heather’s story invites us to reflect on the conversations, decisions and conditions that make care safer. It is a question we will continue exploring during Canadian Patient Safety Week: What shapes safer care? ",{"type":15,"attrs":1479,"content":1480},{"textAlign":53},[1481],{"text":1482,"type":303,"marks":1483},"Learn more about World Patient Safety Day and how you can get involved. ",[1484],{"type":454,"attrs":1485},{"href":1486,"uuid":53,"anchor":53,"custom":1487,"target":457,"linktype":458},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.who.int\u002Fnews-room\u002Fevents\u002Fdetail\u002F2026\u002F09\u002F17\u002Fdefault-calendar\u002Fworld-patient-safety-day--17-september-2026---noncommunicable-diseases",{},{"id":16,"_uid":1489,"items":1490,"component":617},"6c6634fa-128b-42db-9120-27f7196557bf",[1491],{"_uid":1492,"link":1493,"image":1497,"title":16,"component":599,"description":1499},"2b026ac7-8f9c-4b0f-b7cb-2e8f249458b1",[1494],{"_uid":1495,"link":1496,"label":594,"component":568},"ca045721-c3be-4071-8739-b7967492b00e",{"id":589,"url":16,"linktype":559,"fieldtype":560,"cached_url":590},{"id":596,"alt":16,"name":16,"focus":16,"title":16,"source":16,"filename":597,"copyright":16,"fieldtype":290,"meta_data":1498,"is_external_url":293},{},{"type":12,"attrs":1500,"content":1501},{"backgroundColor":53},[1502,1509],{"type":15,"attrs":1503,"content":1504},{"textAlign":53},[1505,1506],{"text":607,"type":303},{"text":609,"type":303,"marks":1507},[1508],{"type":374},{"type":15,"attrs":1510,"content":1511},{"textAlign":53},[1512],{"text":616,"type":303},{"id":16,"_uid":1514,"content":1515,"component":329},"a0cbf829-5b81-4a70-bb18-9bdf134fe5ee",[1516],{"_uid":1517,"content":1518,"component":328},"22de8064-7018-481c-8cf2-7e8ae516b704",{"type":12,"attrs":1519,"content":1520},{"backgroundColor":53},[1521,1526,1531,1536,1541],{"type":339,"attrs":1522,"content":1523},{"level":341,"textAlign":53},[1524],{"text":1525,"type":303},"About Heather Thiessen ",{"type":15,"attrs":1527,"content":1528},{"textAlign":53},[1529],{"text":1530,"type":303},"Heather brings deep lived experience as a person living with two chronic conditions, along with more than a decade of experience as a patient partner at the local, regional, provincial, and national levels. Her healthcare journey, including multiple hospitalizations and ongoing interactions with the health system, continues to shape her commitment to ensuring patient and family voices are meaningfully included in healthcare improvement. ",{"type":15,"attrs":1532,"content":1533},{"textAlign":53},[1534],{"text":1535,"type":303},"Heather has served as an embedded Patient Partner with Health Standards Organization and Accreditation Canada and was trained as one of Accreditation Canada’s first patient surveyors. She currently serves as a board member with Healthcare Excellence Canada and contributes to committee work with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. ",{"type":15,"attrs":1537,"content":1538},{"textAlign":53},[1539],{"text":1540,"type":303},"She is also involved in health professions education at the University of Saskatchewan and has received numerous awards and honours for her contributions to health system improvement and health sciences education. ",{"type":15,"attrs":1542,"content":1543},{"textAlign":53},[1544],{"text":1545,"type":303},"At the heart of Heather’s work is a belief that patients and families should be valued, respected, and fully integrated into the future of healthcare.",{"id":16,"cta":1547,"_uid":1551,"items":1552,"title":578,"component":579},[1548],{"_uid":1549,"link":1550,"label":567,"component":568},"cda3f962-051c-48da-af89-2639a3a8b2f9",{"id":558,"url":16,"linktype":559,"fieldtype":560,"cached_url":561},"d07baebf-bf42-4de4-b9ad-3d161c52602d",[577,275,572,574,575,576,571],[115,143,122,129,150,136,157],"shaping-safer-care-through-partnership","updates\u002Fshaping-safer-care-through-partnership",-9450,[],"506bb8d1-61ec-4505-ba48-5d4d549126be","2026-09-11T14:01:10.326Z",[],[1562],{"path":1563,"name":1564,"lang":633,"published":566},"actualites-et-perspectives\u002Fdes-partenariats-pour-des-soins-plus-surs","Des partenariats pour des soins plus sûrs ",{"name":1566,"created_at":1567,"published_at":1568,"updated_at":1569,"id":1570,"uuid":574,"content":1571,"slug":1769,"full_slug":1770,"sort_by_date":53,"position":1771,"tag_list":1772,"is_startpage":293,"parent_id":624,"meta_data":53,"group_id":1773,"first_published_at":1774,"release_id":53,"lang":627,"path":53,"alternates":1775,"default_full_slug":1770,"translated_slugs":1776},"Legislative Reform and the Path to Safer Care","2026-09-29T13:21:17.607Z","2026-10-22T19:12:58.424Z","2026-10-22T19:12:58.472Z",225273764357248,{"seo":1572,"_uid":1576,"hero":1577,"types":1596,"topics":1597,"Noindex":293,"content":1598,"audience":1768,"component":619},{"_uid":1573,"title":1574,"plugin":280,"og_image":16,"og_title":16,"description":1575,"twitter_image":16,"twitter_title":16,"og_description":16,"twitter_description":16},"368bf7e3-a5cf-4d9a-8e42-f7dabf3a632e","Legislative Reform and the Path to Safer Care | Voices Shaping Safer Care Blog Series","Joanna Seeley shares lessons from New Brunswick’s patient safety legislative reforms and how partnership can help shape policies that support safer care. ","beae0a63-1b52-4b20-ac73-916a9b81c64a",[1578],{"_uid":1579,"date":16,"image":1580,"title":1566,"author":16,"component":294,"description":1585},"f081a31f-5ac9-41fd-8c75-f704bff7a3d4",{"id":1581,"alt":1582,"name":16,"focus":16,"title":16,"source":16,"filename":1583,"copyright":16,"fieldtype":290,"meta_data":1584,"is_external_url":293},226396042599285,"Joanna Seeley, Healthcare Consultant, Quality of Care and Patient Safety, Government of New Brunswick","https:\u002F\u002Fa-ca.storyblok.com\u002Ff\u002F850807391887861\u002F1500x907\u002Fc052734852\u002Fblog-hero-seeley-bilingual-1340x810.webp",{"alt":1582,"size":292,"title":16,"source":16,"copyright":16},{"type":12,"attrs":1586,"content":1587},{"backgroundColor":53},[1588],{"type":15,"attrs":1589,"content":1590},{"textAlign":53},[1591],{"text":1592,"type":303,"marks":1593},"To inform its legislative reforms, the Government of New Brunswick undertook an extensive consultation over four years. During this time, they reached out to experts and partners within the province and across the country to learn from proven safety and privacy practices. Quality of care, patient safety and healthcare safety perspectives were also considered to ensure the new policy direction matched national standards.  ",[1594],{"type":306,"attrs":1595},{"color":308},[],[],[1599,1613,1729,1736,1743],{"id":16,"_uid":1600,"content":1601,"component":329},"3f12fa4b-a724-4811-8331-4e779f07a72c",[1602],{"_uid":1603,"content":1604,"component":328},"a0a430f2-590c-43a4-a4a3-26730f962d77",{"type":12,"attrs":1605,"content":1606},{"backgroundColor":53},[1607],{"type":15,"attrs":1608,"content":1609},{"textAlign":53},[1610],{"text":324,"type":303,"marks":1611},[1612],{"type":327},{"id":16,"_uid":1614,"content":1615,"component":329},"5fdba537-b7c0-4ce2-9074-b4aeff97196b",[1616],{"_uid":1617,"content":1618,"component":328},"a34598af-c3d3-4002-a864-abefb74e8df7",{"type":12,"attrs":1619,"content":1620},{"backgroundColor":53},[1621,1626,1631,1636,1641,1646,1651,1656,1661,1666,1671,1676,1724],{"type":339,"attrs":1622,"content":1623},{"level":341,"textAlign":53},[1624],{"text":1625,"type":303},"Safer care isn’t just about what happens at the bedside.  ",{"type":15,"attrs":1627,"content":1628},{"textAlign":53},[1629],{"text":1630,"type":303},"Recent reforms made by the Government of New Brunswick are a perfect example. When the province first introduced patient safety legislation in 2018, the focus was on advancing quality of care and patient safety within its healthcare organizations through committees that were responsible for doing so. ",{"type":15,"attrs":1632,"content":1633},{"textAlign":53},[1634],{"text":1635,"type":303},"Now, nearly a decade later, the lessons learned throughout the province and from other jurisdictions – not to mention insights from the COVID-19 pandemic – have resulted in the legislation’s first reforms, which came into effect in June 2026. ",{"type":339,"attrs":1637,"content":1638},{"level":341,"textAlign":53},[1639],{"text":1640,"type":303},"When the law gets in the way of learning ",{"type":15,"attrs":1642,"content":1643},{"textAlign":53},[1644],{"text":1645,"type":303},"One of the most significant updates helps ensure that patient safety learnings and recommendations can be broadly shared between healthcare organizations, health leaders from those organizations and patient partners to drive system-level improvements.  ",{"type":15,"attrs":1647,"content":1648},{"textAlign":53},[1649],{"text":1650,"type":303},"“While the original legislation was focused on patient safety, it did not allow for insights and recommendations to translate into broader actions that would improve safety for everyone,” explains Joanna Seeley, Healthcare Consultant, Quality of Care and Patient Safety, Government of New Brunswick.  ",{"type":15,"attrs":1652,"content":1653},{"textAlign":53},[1654],{"text":1655,"type":303},"That meant healthcare organizations participating in the province’s Quality Care and Patient Safety Advisory Committee – which had existed before the 2018 legislation – faced significant challenges in sharing information with each other for quality improvement purposes. Even when identifying patient information was removed, concerns around compliance with privacy laws often led to hesitancy or delays in determining whether those disclosures were allowed. For a committee whose role was improving health quality and patient safety for the province, not being able to share quality assurance information was a significant limitation. ",{"type":15,"attrs":1657,"content":1658},{"textAlign":53},[1659],{"text":1660,"type":303},"“Despite its important work, the advisory committee had never been officially recognized in legislation. That has changed with these reforms – and as a result our health system is stronger,” explains Seeley. “Now, healthcare organizations can better share information with each other to learn more rapidly and effectively – which makes healthcare safer and better for all New Brunswickers.”",{"type":339,"attrs":1662,"content":1663},{"level":341,"textAlign":53},[1664],{"text":1665,"type":303},"Many voices, better policy: Lessons from legislative reform ",{"type":15,"attrs":1667,"content":1668},{"textAlign":53},[1669],{"text":1670,"type":303},"To inform its legislative reforms, the Government of New Brunswick undertook an extensive consultation over four years. During this time, they reached out to experts and partners within the province and across the country to learn from proven safety and privacy practices. Quality of care, patient safety and healthcare safety perspectives were also considered to ensure the new policy direction matched national standards.  ",{"type":15,"attrs":1672,"content":1673},{"textAlign":53},[1674],{"text":1675,"type":303},"Based on Seeley’s experience in New Brunswick, she offers the following lessons for other provinces to consider in implementing their own policies affecting patient safety: ",{"type":1677,"content":1678},"bullet_list",[1679,1691,1702,1713],{"type":1680,"content":1681},"list_item",[1682],{"type":15,"attrs":1683,"content":1684},{"textAlign":53},[1685,1689],{"text":1686,"type":303,"marks":1687},"Begin with partnership engagement:",[1688],{"type":374},{"text":1690,"type":303}," Rather than a “one and done” activity, partnership engagement should be broken down into smaller, more achievable steps that builds on policy themes as they emerge. “If you give the public engagement process the breadth it needs to be a fulsome activity, the policy will better reflect broader system values and benefit patients as a whole,” she says. ",{"type":1680,"content":1692},[1693],{"type":15,"attrs":1694,"content":1695},{"textAlign":53},[1696,1700],{"text":1697,"type":303,"marks":1698},"Don’t wait until the engagement phase is complete before capturing knowledge:",[1699],{"type":374},{"text":1701,"type":303}," The partnership engagement process is lengthy by design, meaning that people will come and go. The voices of people consulted early in the process are just as important as the voices of those engaged later. ",{"type":1680,"content":1703},[1704],{"type":15,"attrs":1705,"content":1706},{"textAlign":53},[1707,1711],{"text":1708,"type":303,"marks":1709},"Support new partners in seeing the full journey:",[1710],{"type":374},{"text":1712,"type":303}," As new partners are engaged, provide them with a complete view of work that has taken place before their involvement so they are building on existing information and wisdom and can share perspectives and experience that will add the most value. ",{"type":1680,"content":1714},[1715],{"type":15,"attrs":1716,"content":1717},{"textAlign":53},[1718,1722],{"text":1719,"type":303,"marks":1720},"Engage patients and families meaningfully:",[1721],{"type":374},{"text":1723,"type":303}," Patient and family voices are essential in shaping how their information is collected, used, retained and disclosed with others. Seeing a direct line between their experience and the policies that shape care helps to build trust – including confidence in how their personal health information is used in the pursuit of safer, high-quality care. ",{"type":15,"attrs":1725,"content":1726},{"textAlign":53},[1727],{"text":1728,"type":303},"Seeley also notes that policies and legislation with a patient safety focus help to support everyone with a role to play in enabling better, safer care. “We all have a responsibility to improve patient safety and improve the quality of care,\" she shares. “Policy should be a lever that helps us collectively do this work.” ",{"id":16,"cta":1730,"_uid":1734,"items":1735,"title":578,"component":579},[1731],{"_uid":1732,"link":1733,"label":567,"component":568},"809ddc5b-0d93-4947-b520-3ff15b6a42eb",{"id":558,"url":16,"linktype":559,"fieldtype":560,"cached_url":561},"bae18e95-9490-4244-b70e-8f5667236dd7",[572,573,575],{"id":16,"cta":1737,"_uid":1741,"items":1742,"title":578,"component":579},[1738],{"_uid":1739,"link":1740,"label":567,"component":568},"4e6325f1-225e-4360-8378-dab3a8fc3471",{"id":558,"url":16,"linktype":559,"fieldtype":560,"cached_url":561},"77a990c2-a739-44b4-bdd6-4f39cab24e5c",[577,275,572,575,576,571,573],{"id":16,"_uid":1744,"items":1745,"component":617},"80c5723f-f4d0-4255-99a6-25483775570c",[1746],{"_uid":1747,"link":1748,"image":1752,"title":16,"component":599,"description":1754},"54d02241-3b89-4f31-be7b-f67b030aa3f2",[1749],{"_uid":1750,"link":1751,"label":594,"component":568},"f57654b7-9cad-4261-b315-1a64b84103cb",{"id":589,"url":16,"linktype":559,"fieldtype":560,"cached_url":590},{"id":596,"alt":16,"name":16,"focus":16,"title":16,"source":16,"filename":597,"copyright":16,"fieldtype":290,"meta_data":1753,"is_external_url":293},{},{"type":12,"attrs":1755,"content":1756},{"backgroundColor":53},[1757,1764],{"type":15,"attrs":1758,"content":1759},{"textAlign":53},[1760,1761],{"text":607,"type":303},{"text":609,"type":303,"marks":1762},[1763],{"type":374},{"type":15,"attrs":1765,"content":1766},{"textAlign":53},[1767],{"text":616,"type":303},[],"legislative-reform-and-the-path-to-safer-care","updates\u002Flegislative-reform-and-the-path-to-safer-care",-9510,[],"10cb487e-4093-4ab1-bfad-c99d68e8891f","2026-10-07T13:39:23.641Z",[],[1777],{"path":1778,"name":1779,"lang":633,"published":566},"actualites-et-perspectives\u002Freforme-legislative-la-voie-vers-des-soins-plus-surs","Réforme législative : la voie vers des soins plus sûrs ",{"name":1781,"created_at":1782,"published_at":1783,"updated_at":1784,"id":1785,"uuid":575,"content":1786,"slug":2004,"full_slug":2005,"sort_by_date":53,"position":2006,"tag_list":2007,"is_startpage":293,"parent_id":624,"meta_data":53,"group_id":2008,"first_published_at":2009,"release_id":53,"lang":627,"path":53,"alternates":2010,"default_full_slug":2005,"translated_slugs":2011},"Beyond Compliance: Getting Curious About Safer Care ","2026-09-28T19:47:37.099Z","2026-10-22T19:12:41.804Z","2026-10-22T19:12:41.861Z",225014813148273,{"seo":1787,"_uid":1791,"hero":1792,"types":1808,"topics":1809,"Noindex":293,"content":1810,"audience":2003,"component":619},{"_uid":1788,"title":1789,"plugin":280,"og_image":16,"og_title":16,"description":1790,"twitter_image":16,"twitter_title":16,"og_description":16,"twitter_description":16},"4034abb6-c0b6-4259-8f1a-8da2e404184a","Beyond Compliance: Getting Curious About Safer Care | Voices Shaping Safer Care Blog Series","Rochelle Currie share how curiosity can help healthcare systems move beyond compliance, strengthen patient safety practices and create safer care.","4451a6ab-11a1-47bb-ad12-7ea6fe905037",[1793],{"_uid":1794,"date":16,"image":1795,"title":1781,"author":16,"component":294,"description":1800},"805bf19b-28c7-48b7-9a8f-75ce2b75e1de",{"id":1796,"alt":1797,"name":16,"focus":16,"title":16,"source":16,"filename":1798,"copyright":16,"fieldtype":290,"meta_data":1799,"is_external_url":293},227837933706147,"Rochelle Currie, Senior Director, Quality and Patient Safety at Nova Scotia Health","https:\u002F\u002Fa-ca.storyblok.com\u002Ff\u002F850807391887861\u002F1500x907\u002F57de071ab3\u002Fblog-hero-rochelle-en-1340x810.webp",{"alt":1797,"size":292,"title":16,"source":16,"copyright":16},{"type":12,"attrs":1801,"content":1802},{"backgroundColor":53},[1803],{"type":15,"attrs":1804,"content":1805},{"textAlign":53},[1806],{"text":1807,"type":303},"For Rochelle Currie, a patient safety scorecard that shows a lot of yellow – and even maybe a little red – can be a welcome and refreshing sight. You might think it’s a surprising perspective from someone accountable for quality and patient safety across an entire province. Yet Currie knows from experience that the journey to safer care truly begins when organizations are willing to get curious about what’s really happening. ",[246],[76],[1811,1825,1971,1978],{"id":16,"_uid":1812,"content":1813,"component":329},"2f82d260-1b45-4232-8483-de483dfac867",[1814],{"_uid":1815,"content":1816,"component":328},"277f1d33-e733-40f8-91bf-d7d6cd903281",{"type":12,"attrs":1817,"content":1818},{"backgroundColor":53},[1819],{"type":15,"attrs":1820,"content":1821},{"textAlign":53},[1822],{"text":324,"type":303,"marks":1823},[1824],{"type":327},{"id":16,"_uid":1826,"content":1827,"component":329},"8f2713a0-58b7-44b8-af9e-176f2d6631c2",[1828],{"_uid":1829,"content":1830,"component":328},"dc23dbab-1978-4e0a-9b71-78cdb824faa6",{"type":12,"attrs":1831,"content":1832},{"backgroundColor":53},[1833,1838,1843,1848,1853,1858,1863,1868,1891,1896,1901,1906,1911,1916,1921,1926,1931,1936,1941,1946,1951,1956,1961,1966],{"type":339,"attrs":1834,"content":1835},{"level":341,"textAlign":53},[1836],{"text":1837,"type":303},"When routine becomes the risk ",{"type":15,"attrs":1839,"content":1840},{"textAlign":53},[1841],{"text":1842,"type":303},"Have you ever driven to a place you go to often – only to realize you don’t remember anything about the drive? You know you were behind the wheel, stopped at all the red lights and used your turn signal. But you can’t recall the actual details of the journey? ",{"type":15,"attrs":1844,"content":1845},{"textAlign":53},[1846],{"text":1847,"type":303},"For healthcare organizations, routine patient safety practices can slip into autopilot mode, too. And recognizing when that’s happening can be the difference between outcomes that stagnate and those that improve.  ",{"type":15,"attrs":1849,"content":1850},{"textAlign":53},[1851],{"text":1852,"type":303},"That’s exactly what Rochelle Currie saw at Nova Scotia Health. She was new in her role as Senior Director, Quality and Patient Safety, and she quickly saw the organization’s strong track record for implementing recommendations from patient safety incidents. Scorecard after scorecard showed implementation rates close to 100%. ",{"type":15,"attrs":1854,"content":1855},{"textAlign":53},[1856],{"text":1857,"type":303},"But she noticed something else, too: a disconnect with lived reality. “It felt like we were ticking a lot of boxes, but we weren’t really getting the intended outcomes,” she says. “Rather than reporting on whether we have implemented 98% of the recommendations, we should be looking at whether our policies and procedures are achieving what we need them to, and whether our recommendations actually improve care.” ",{"type":339,"attrs":1859,"content":1860},{"level":341,"textAlign":53},[1861],{"text":1862,"type":303},"From checking boxes to driving change ",{"type":15,"attrs":1864,"content":1865},{"textAlign":53},[1866],{"text":1867,"type":303},"The disconnect prompted Nova Scotia Health to launch a full review of its incident analysis work, including: ",{"type":1677,"content":1869},[1870,1877,1884],{"type":1680,"content":1871},[1872],{"type":15,"attrs":1873,"content":1874},{"textAlign":53},[1875],{"text":1876,"type":303},"a review of all incident analysis and patient safety processes. Conducted in partnership with the implementation science team, this review explored if the organization’s approach was driving the desired outcomes. ",{"type":1680,"content":1878},[1879],{"type":15,"attrs":1880,"content":1881},{"textAlign":53},[1882],{"text":1883,"type":303},"Interviews and focus groups with staff throughout the province, including those who had been involved in patient safety incidents to identify gaps and opportunities to improve.  ",{"type":1680,"content":1885},[1886],{"type":15,"attrs":1887,"content":1888},{"textAlign":53},[1889],{"text":1890,"type":303},"a literature review of incident analysis research conducted in Canada, the US and the UK to find learnings and best practices. ",{"type":15,"attrs":1892,"content":1893},{"textAlign":53},[1894],{"text":1895,"type":303},"Through the multi-step review, themes emerged that helped the organization to shape a plan for how to strengthen its approach to incident analysis and ultimately improve patient safety. Equipped with meaningful insights, a body of evidence, and a clear picture of the future state they wanted to create, Nova Scotia Health began the hard work of creating a plan to build a stronger approach.  ",{"type":339,"attrs":1897,"content":1898},{"level":341,"textAlign":53},[1899],{"text":1900,"type":303},"What progress looks like ",{"type":15,"attrs":1902,"content":1903},{"textAlign":53},[1904],{"text":1905,"type":303},"The introduction in 2026 of a standardized patient safety incident toolkit was a major milestone. It is a single source that identifies quality and patient safety responsibilities within the organization, documents clear processes that support related policies and procedures and provides an algorithm staff can reference to support them in navigating different scenarios. It’s now being used across the whole authority. ",{"type":15,"attrs":1907,"content":1908},{"textAlign":53},[1909],{"text":1910,"type":303},"The toolkit’s introduction was supported by in-person education sessions with every management team at Nova Scotia Health. Currie emphasizes the value of this face time with employees, saying that “the discussion, dialogue and opportunity to ask questions” have been particularly powerful in helping staff feel supported to navigate safety incidents with confidence.  ",{"type":339,"attrs":1912,"content":1913},{"level":782,"textAlign":53},[1914],{"text":1915,"type":303},"Expertise over enforcement ",{"type":15,"attrs":1917,"content":1918},{"textAlign":53},[1919],{"text":1920,"type":303},"While Currie is hesitant to define the changes as a full transformation, she is seeing signals that the culture of safety is changing for the better.  ",{"type":15,"attrs":1922,"content":1923},{"textAlign":53},[1924],{"text":1925,"type":303},"Reframing the role of the quality improvement and safety team from the “safety police” to a resource with expertise has been part of that shift. “We try to be supportive of teams across the organization and work with them,” she explains. “As a result, I think people are coming to [the quality improvement and safety team] more often to have open conversations, rather than being scared when they see us calling.” ",{"type":339,"attrs":1927,"content":1928},{"level":782,"textAlign":53},[1929],{"text":1930,"type":303},"Aligning the approach with the need ",{"type":15,"attrs":1932,"content":1933},{"textAlign":53},[1934],{"text":1935,"type":303},"The province’s response to sepsis is another example that things are changing. Rather than continuing to tackle sepsis safety incidents at the regional or hospital level, Nova Scotia Health prioritized a system-level response by creating a Sepsis Action Improvement Team that was recently recognized by the Canadian College of Health Leaders with the 2026 Excellence in Patient Safety Award. ",{"type":15,"attrs":1937,"content":1938},{"textAlign":53},[1939],{"text":1940,"type":303},"“We’re trying to have the right solution and the right tools to respond to each problem – and that’s not always one size fits all,” says Currie. “For a large-scale issue like sepsis, that meant changing the way we approached the problem.” ",{"type":339,"attrs":1942,"content":1943},{"level":782,"textAlign":53},[1944],{"text":1945,"type":303},"Choose curiosity over judgement ",{"type":15,"attrs":1947,"content":1948},{"textAlign":53},[1949],{"text":1950,"type":303},"Currie believes that a judgemental mindset and attitude is one of the biggest barriers to safer care, because it prevents meaningful and open discussion when things don’t go as they should. But she’s quick to admit that a curiosity mindset doesn’t always come naturally, even for her. Currie’s advice? Model what it looks like to lead with curiosity, even if you’re thinking of something entirely different. “The initial reaction when things go wrong is so important as it lays the foundation for how people are going to react now and in the future. Typically, one may respond with ‘Oh my goodness, how could that ever happen?’” says Currie. “And the minute you say that, you’ve laid the foundation to imply ‘This is something that is completely unacceptable and shouldn’t have happened, thus people will be less inclined to speak about it.” So, it’s important to change the script right away to something like: ‘Oh, that’s interesting. Tell me more.’”  ",{"type":339,"attrs":1952,"content":1953},{"level":782,"textAlign":53},[1954],{"text":1955,"type":303},"Connect intention with outcomes ",{"type":15,"attrs":1957,"content":1958},{"textAlign":53},[1959],{"text":1960,"type":303},"The top piece of advice that Currie has for quality and patient safety professionals is to think with intention about what it means to be safe, and whether the processes in place to support safety are actually doing that. ",{"type":15,"attrs":1962,"content":1963},{"textAlign":53},[1964],{"text":1965,"type":303},"“You may have all of the policies and procedures you need,” she says, “but at the end of the day, you need to know they’re actually leading to safer care.” ",{"type":15,"attrs":1967,"content":1968},{"textAlign":53},[1969],{"text":1970,"type":303},"That’s why Currie is comfortable with a safety scorecard that’s not entirely green. “That’s what the conversation needs to be about – not ‘oh my goodness, look at all the greens,’ but it’s about getting curious about the yellow and red dashboard items and understanding what’s really happening so we can improve.” ",{"id":16,"cta":1972,"_uid":1976,"items":1977,"title":578,"component":579},[1973],{"_uid":1974,"link":1975,"label":567,"component":568},"f9743afa-a3f1-4fbd-bc70-0f4ab55d27be",{"id":558,"url":16,"linktype":559,"fieldtype":560,"cached_url":561},"cc2a2bc9-5c18-48ee-9208-cfef0f5e0e21",[577,275,572,573,574,576,571],{"id":16,"_uid":1979,"items":1980,"component":617},"d146780d-d4be-48ff-97d3-b72159e486c1",[1981],{"_uid":1982,"link":1983,"image":1987,"title":16,"component":599,"description":1989},"a6209f73-20f2-4b1b-9579-ee682888aee9",[1984],{"_uid":1985,"link":1986,"label":594,"component":568},"dd7b6617-3f71-4d9d-b86d-7dfd14ece05b",{"id":589,"url":16,"linktype":559,"fieldtype":560,"cached_url":590},{"id":596,"alt":16,"name":16,"focus":16,"title":16,"source":16,"filename":597,"copyright":16,"fieldtype":290,"meta_data":1988,"is_external_url":293},{},{"type":12,"attrs":1990,"content":1991},{"backgroundColor":53},[1992,1999],{"type":15,"attrs":1993,"content":1994},{"textAlign":53},[1995,1996],{"text":607,"type":303},{"text":609,"type":303,"marks":1997},[1998],{"type":374},{"type":15,"attrs":2000,"content":2001},{"textAlign":53},[2002],{"text":616,"type":303},[],"getting-curious-about-safer-care","updates\u002Fgetting-curious-about-safer-care",-9470,[],"aeee7259-3ef4-40f4-84fe-8d1d69563323","2026-10-07T13:39:07.784Z",[],[2012],{"path":2013,"name":2014,"lang":633,"published":566},"actualites-et-perspectives\u002Fau-dela-de-la-conformite-cultiver-la-curiosite","Au-delà de la conformité, cultiver la curiosité ",{"name":2016,"created_at":2017,"published_at":2018,"updated_at":2019,"id":2020,"uuid":576,"content":2021,"slug":2341,"full_slug":2342,"sort_by_date":53,"position":2343,"tag_list":2344,"is_startpage":293,"parent_id":624,"meta_data":53,"group_id":2345,"first_published_at":2346,"release_id":53,"lang":627,"path":53,"alternates":2347,"default_full_slug":2342,"translated_slugs":2348},"What’s at the Foundation of Safer Care? ","2026-10-01T17:44:22.285Z","2026-10-22T19:12:52.044Z","2026-10-22T19:12:52.106Z",226046207194267,{"seo":2022,"_uid":2026,"hero":2027,"types":2045,"topics":2046,"Noindex":293,"content":2047,"audience":2340,"component":619},{"_uid":2023,"title":2024,"plugin":280,"og_image":16,"og_title":16,"description":2025,"twitter_image":16,"twitter_title":16,"og_description":16,"twitter_description":16},"c26022fd-dd24-4bb7-b1ad-7262ec73d350","What’s at the Foundation of Safer Care? | Voices Shaping Safer Care Blog Series","Explore how engagement, cultural safety, patient safety and health equity can deepen our understanding of what shapes safer care and healthcare excellence.","b70b0448-57d5-4da9-aa60-77f5cf5d4644",[2028],{"_uid":2029,"date":16,"image":2030,"title":2016,"author":16,"component":294,"description":2035,"title_image":2043},"1b6a324b-346a-4046-aa9e-3a1c5efdf8d1",{"id":2031,"alt":2032,"name":16,"focus":16,"title":16,"source":16,"filename":2033,"copyright":16,"fieldtype":290,"meta_data":2034,"is_external_url":293},226390976662383,"Three people in a meeting room, two facing a board with sticky notes, one taking notes. Text \"Learning\" above.","https:\u002F\u002Fa-ca.storyblok.com\u002Ff\u002F850807391887861\u002F1500x907\u002F2fb6f0fca4\u002Fblog-hero-foundations-en-1340x810.webp",{"alt":2032,"size":292,"title":16,"source":16,"copyright":16},{"type":12,"attrs":2036,"content":2037},{"backgroundColor":53},[2038],{"type":15,"attrs":2039,"content":2040},{"textAlign":53},[2041],{"text":2042,"type":303},"Engagement-capable environments, cultural safety, patient safety and health equity can help us see care from different perspectives and deepen our understanding of what shapes safer care. ",{"id":53,"alt":53,"name":16,"focus":53,"title":53,"source":53,"filename":16,"copyright":53,"fieldtype":290,"meta_data":2044},{},[],[],[2048,2062,2265,2272],{"id":16,"_uid":2049,"content":2050,"component":329},"bd3e1756-23b7-4ceb-a2aa-0ecf73f08b77",[2051],{"_uid":2052,"content":2053,"component":328},"16f612bc-ec12-4776-98e4-dc3fbcc2fce3",{"type":12,"attrs":2054,"content":2055},{"backgroundColor":53},[2056],{"type":15,"attrs":2057,"content":2058},{"textAlign":53},[2059],{"text":324,"type":303,"marks":2060},[2061],{"type":327},{"id":16,"_uid":2063,"content":2064,"component":329},"6a267dc7-9ad8-4f5d-910a-674b1426697d",[2065],{"_uid":2066,"content":2067,"component":328},"00448180-dda3-4f1b-b6d3-2d66c6bd4c0b",{"type":12,"attrs":2068,"content":2069},{"backgroundColor":53},[2070,2075,2083,2112,2120,2128,2172,2177,2182,2187,2210,2215,2220,2228,2257],{"type":339,"attrs":2071,"content":2072},{"level":341,"textAlign":53},[2073],{"text":2074,"type":303},"There’s always more to notice",{"type":15,"attrs":2076,"content":2077},{"textAlign":53},[2078],{"text":2079,"type":303,"marks":2080},"A person hesitates to ask a question. A care team makes a decision without hearing from someone who knows the patient well. A service is available, but difficult for some people to reach.  ",[2081],{"type":306,"attrs":2082},{"color":16},{"type":15,"attrs":2084,"content":2085},{"textAlign":377},[2086,2091,2100,2107],{"text":2087,"type":303,"marks":2088},"Moments like these can tell us a great deal about safety. This Canadian Patient Safety Week, ",[2089],{"type":306,"attrs":2090},{"color":16},{"text":2092,"type":303,"marks":2093},"What Shapes Safer Care?",[2094,2098],{"type":454,"attrs":2095},{"href":2096,"uuid":589,"anchor":53,"custom":2097,"target":984,"linktype":559},"\u002Fcanadian-patient-safety-week",{},{"type":306,"attrs":2099},{"color":461},{"text":513,"type":303,"marks":2101},[2102,2105],{"type":454,"attrs":2103},{"href":2096,"uuid":589,"anchor":53,"custom":2104,"target":984,"linktype":559},{},{"type":306,"attrs":2106},{"color":16},{"text":2108,"type":303,"marks":2109},"invites us to look more closely at the experiences, relationships and systems that influence how people give and receive care. To understand what shapes safer care, we need to look at it from different perspectives. What feels safe, respectful or accessible to one person may look very different to someone else. The experiences and preferences we bring to a conversation can shape what we notice, the questions we ask and the decisions we make. ",[2110],{"type":306,"attrs":2111},{"color":16},{"type":15,"attrs":2113,"content":2114},{"textAlign":377},[2115],{"text":2116,"type":303,"marks":2117},"Understanding what shapes safer care means paying attention to what isn’t always obvious. Who feels safe speaking up? Whose knowledge is valued? What affects how someone accesses care? What makes meaningful partnership meaningful? ",[2118],{"type":306,"attrs":2119},{"color":16},{"type":15,"attrs":2121,"content":2122},{"textAlign":377},[2123],{"text":2124,"type":303,"marks":2125},"These questions connect to four areas of focus that are foundational to safe, high-quality care: engagement-capable environments, cultural safety, patient safety, and health equity. Each foundation adds something different to our understanding of care.  ",[2126],{"type":306,"attrs":2127},{"color":16},{"type":1677,"content":2129},[2130,2141,2152,2162],{"type":1680,"content":2131},[2132],{"type":15,"attrs":2133,"content":2134},{"textAlign":377},[2135,2139],{"text":2136,"type":303,"marks":2137},"Engagement-capable environments",[2138],{"type":374},{"text":2140,"type":303}," create the conditions for meaningful partnership – they help people feel safe speaking up.  ",{"type":1680,"content":2142},[2143],{"type":15,"attrs":2144,"content":2145},{"textAlign":377},[2146,2150],{"text":2147,"type":303,"marks":2148},"Cultural safety",[2149],{"type":374},{"text":2151,"type":303}," brings attention to power, trust and respect, and help different sources of knowledge be considered in care delivery.  ",{"type":1680,"content":2153},[2154],{"type":15,"attrs":2155,"content":2156},{"textAlign":377},[2157,2160],{"text":78,"type":303,"marks":2158},[2159],{"type":374},{"text":2161,"type":303}," broadens the focus beyond preventing harm to the relationships, environments and systems that contribute to safe care.",{"type":1680,"content":2163},[2164],{"type":15,"attrs":2165,"content":2166},{"textAlign":377},[2167,2170],{"text":48,"type":303,"marks":2168},[2169],{"type":374},{"text":2171,"type":303}," asks us to recognize and address differences in access to care and outcomes. ",{"type":15,"attrs":2173,"content":2174},{"textAlign":377},[2175],{"text":2176,"type":303},"The questions we ask about care shape what we notice. But what we notice about that care is also shaped by where we stand. ",{"type":339,"attrs":2178,"content":2179},{"level":341,"textAlign":377},[2180],{"text":2181,"type":303},"What are you noticing in your own setting? ",{"type":15,"attrs":2183,"content":2184},{"textAlign":377},[2185],{"text":2186,"type":303},"Our own experiences can only tell us so much about how others experience care. Listening to colleagues, patients, caregivers and communities can help us understand what shapes safer care for others, and help us ask questions that we might not have considered: ",{"type":1677,"content":2188},[2189,2196,2203],{"type":1680,"content":2190},[2191],{"type":15,"attrs":2192,"content":2193},{"textAlign":377},[2194],{"text":2195,"type":303},"Whose voices are informing our understanding of care, and what voices might we be missing?  ",{"type":1680,"content":2197},[2198],{"type":15,"attrs":2199,"content":2200},{"textAlign":377},[2201],{"text":2202,"type":303},"What helps people feel heard, respected and able to participate? What might stand in the way?  ",{"type":1680,"content":2204},[2205],{"type":15,"attrs":2206,"content":2207},{"textAlign":377},[2208],{"text":2209,"type":303},"What can we learn from people who encounter care differently about inequities, risks or opportunities for improvement? ",{"type":15,"attrs":2211,"content":2212},{"textAlign":377},[2213],{"text":2214,"type":303},"These conversations can challenge assumptions and help us make more informed choices about how care is designed, delivered and improved. ",{"type":339,"attrs":2216,"content":2217},{"level":341,"textAlign":377},[2218],{"text":2219,"type":303},"Learning that meets you where you are ",{"type":15,"attrs":2221,"content":2222},{"textAlign":377},[2223],{"text":2224,"type":303,"marks":2225},"Being open to what others can show us takes practice and intention. So does building our understanding of the conditions that influence people’s experiences of care. ",[2226],{"type":306,"attrs":2227},{"color":16},{"type":15,"attrs":2229,"content":2230},{"textAlign":377},[2231,2235,2245,2252],{"text":486,"type":303,"marks":2232},[2233],{"type":306,"attrs":2234},{"color":16},{"text":2236,"type":303,"marks":2237},"Foundations of Healthcare Excellence",[2238,2243],{"type":454,"attrs":2239},{"href":2240,"uuid":2241,"anchor":53,"custom":2242,"target":984,"linktype":559},"\u002Fprograms\u002Ffoundations-of-healthcare-excellence","4a7f690a-7c97-4f12-bfd2-13ba6701372b",{},{"type":306,"attrs":2244},{"color":461},{"text":513,"type":303,"marks":2246},[2247,2250],{"type":454,"attrs":2248},{"href":2240,"uuid":2241,"anchor":53,"custom":2249,"target":984,"linktype":559},{},{"type":306,"attrs":2251},{"color":16},{"text":2253,"type":303,"marks":2254},"are intended to support that ongoing learning. The self-paced e-learning series explores engagement-capable environments, cultural safety, patient safety, and health equity, four concepts that organizations across Canada identified as priorities for deeper learning and action. Throughout the series, individual and team-based activities create space to reflect, exchange perspectives and consider what the learning means in your own context. ",[2255],{"type":306,"attrs":2256},{"color":16},{"type":15,"attrs":2258,"content":2259},{"textAlign":377},[2260],{"text":2261,"type":303,"marks":2262},"You’ve asked what shapes safer care. Now take the next step and start building your foundation.",[2263],{"type":306,"attrs":2264},{"color":16},{"id":16,"cta":2266,"_uid":2270,"items":2271,"title":578,"component":579},[2267],{"_uid":2268,"link":2269,"label":567,"component":568},"bd02c071-02e9-4d04-8c88-3b71a4a6fc2b",{"id":558,"url":16,"linktype":559,"fieldtype":560,"cached_url":561},"4884e6e8-46b2-4ef9-a505-21b9338f9111",[572,573,575],{"id":16,"_uid":2273,"items":2274,"component":617},"6ac91ed8-9173-4e20-9722-e70c0a334bb2",[2275,2308],{"_uid":2276,"link":2277,"image":2283,"title":2288,"component":599,"description":2289},"43c0ae96-0392-454b-8b5f-0cd6b2d828c5",[2278],{"_uid":2279,"link":2280,"label":2282,"component":568},"0396c251-0db8-4d77-8d32-3dbd6da5431a",{"id":2241,"url":16,"linktype":559,"fieldtype":560,"cached_url":2281},"programs\u002Ffoundations-of-healthcare-excellence","See all Foundations",{"id":2284,"alt":16,"name":16,"focus":16,"title":16,"source":16,"filename":2285,"copyright":16,"fieldtype":290,"meta_data":2286,"is_external_url":293},206572693415413,"https:\u002F\u002Fa-ca.storyblok.com\u002Ff\u002F850807391887861\u002F2792x1876\u002Fe51ac239c8\u002Ffoundations_web-hero-foundations-en-1340-900.png",{"size":2287},"2792x1876","Explore the Foundations of Healthcare Excellence",{"type":12,"attrs":2290,"content":2291},{"backgroundColor":53},[2292,2300],{"type":15,"attrs":2293,"content":2294},{"textAlign":53},[2295],{"text":2296,"type":303,"marks":2297},"The Foundations of Healthcare Excellence is a self-paced e-learning series and the recommended starting point for exploring core concepts that underpin healthcare excellence: engagement-capable environments, cultural safety, patient safety, and health equity. ",[2298],{"type":306,"attrs":2299},{"color":308},{"type":15,"attrs":2301,"content":2302},{"textAlign":53},[2303],{"text":2304,"type":303,"marks":2305},"Each module includes practical tools, guided reflection and discussion activities to help leaners apply their learning within their own organization or care setting.",[2306],{"type":306,"attrs":2307},{"color":308},{"_uid":2309,"link":2310,"image":2314,"title":16,"component":599,"description":2318},"b2ebb962-997f-4f0c-a99f-f694c43c2dab",[2311],{"_uid":2312,"link":2313,"label":594,"component":568},"39bf7391-efb5-4396-a1b4-d8b80d5a0e7a",{"id":589,"url":16,"linktype":559,"fieldtype":560,"cached_url":590},{"id":2315,"alt":16,"name":16,"focus":16,"title":16,"source":16,"filename":2316,"copyright":16,"fieldtype":290,"meta_data":2317,"is_external_url":293},200923579720985,"https:\u002F\u002Fa-ca.storyblok.com\u002Ff\u002F850807391887861\u002F2792x1876\u002F4a713f40d7\u002Fcpsw-2026-theme-hero-en.png",{},{"type":12,"content":2319},[2320,2335],{"type":15,"attrs":2321,"content":2322},{"textAlign":53},[2323,2325,2329,2331,2334],{"text":2324,"type":303},"Canadian Patient Safety Week (CPSW) returns ",{"text":2326,"type":303,"marks":2327},"October 26–30, 2026",[2328],{"type":374},{"text":2330,"type":303}," with the theme ",{"text":2092,"type":303,"marks":2332},[2333],{"type":374},{"text":513,"type":303},{"type":15,"attrs":2336,"content":2337},{"textAlign":53},[2338],{"text":2339,"type":303},"Explore the theme and discover what's planned for this year's campaign.",[],"foundation-of-safer-care","updates\u002Ffoundation-of-safer-care",-9530,[],"926c5a26-e350-4e41-9651-cbdd3d5e2a77","2026-10-07T13:39:38.700Z",[],[2349],{"path":2350,"name":2351,"lang":633,"published":566},"actualites-et-perspectives\u002Ffondements-soins-plus-surs","Sur quels fondements reposent des soins plus sûrs?",{"name":2353,"created_at":2354,"published_at":2355,"updated_at":2356,"id":2357,"uuid":577,"content":2358,"slug":2591,"full_slug":2592,"sort_by_date":53,"position":2593,"tag_list":2594,"is_startpage":293,"parent_id":624,"meta_data":53,"group_id":2595,"first_published_at":2596,"release_id":53,"lang":627,"path":53,"alternates":2597,"default_full_slug":2592,"translated_slugs":2598},"Care has the Power to Transform. Safer Care Ensures it’s for the Better","2026-10-19T19:53:59.454Z","2026-10-22T19:13:39.638Z","2026-10-22T19:13:39.701Z",232448161744132,{"seo":2359,"_uid":2363,"hero":2364,"types":2383,"topics":2384,"Noindex":293,"content":2385,"audience":2590,"component":619},{"_uid":2360,"title":2361,"plugin":280,"og_image":16,"og_title":16,"description":2362,"twitter_image":16,"twitter_title":16,"og_description":16,"twitter_description":16},"52882ed1-3003-49fa-b455-72c2b140a2d4","Care has the Power to Transform. Safer Care Ensures it’s for the Better. | CPSW 2026","Michelle Grant shares lessons from her experience navigating care across Yukon and British Columbia, including the importance of believing patients and creating space for patient voices.","4fd0e037-5fc9-43f9-a360-31697f9614cc",[2365],{"_uid":2366,"date":16,"image":2367,"title":2371,"author":2372,"component":294,"description":2373,"title_image":2381},"fe978774-a4af-4b74-ae9e-5650aae1a278",{"id":2368,"alt":16,"name":16,"focus":16,"title":16,"source":16,"filename":2369,"copyright":16,"fieldtype":290,"meta_data":2370,"is_external_url":293},233050202975319,"https:\u002F\u002Fa-ca.storyblok.com\u002Ff\u002F850807391887861\u002F1800x1088\u002F239048c67b\u002Fweb-email-images_blog-hero-michelle-en-1340x810.webp",{"size":676},"Care has the Power to Transform. Safer Care Ensures it’s for the Better. ","Interviewee: Michelle Grant, Patient Partner, Yukon",{"type":12,"attrs":2374,"content":2375},{"backgroundColor":53},[2376],{"type":15,"attrs":2377,"content":2378},{"textAlign":53},[2379],{"text":2380,"type":303},"Michelle Grant's experience navigating care across the Yukon and British Columbia holds important lessons for healthcare providers and system leaders about safer care. Drawing on her experience as a patient and patient partner, Michelle shares why believing patients, having a trusted presence and creating space for patient voices can make a difference.",{"id":53,"alt":53,"name":16,"focus":53,"title":53,"filename":53,"copyright":53,"fieldtype":290,"meta_data":2382,"is_external_url":293},{},[],[],[2386,2400,2558,2565],{"id":16,"_uid":2387,"content":2388,"component":329},"b9f0103b-edc0-4f41-aa25-9439259c2d73",[2389],{"_uid":2390,"content":2391,"component":328},"a8df000c-3b67-4072-a696-142b34bc3ad2",{"type":12,"attrs":2392,"content":2393},{"backgroundColor":53},[2394],{"type":15,"attrs":2395,"content":2396},{"textAlign":53},[2397],{"text":324,"type":303,"marks":2398},[2399],{"type":327},{"id":16,"_uid":2401,"content":2402,"component":329},"a66f09c0-b152-46dc-8424-c65de2eeb2e8",[2403],{"_uid":2404,"content":2405,"component":328},"0424cc8b-ad2e-4fcc-932b-eff5a0437845",{"type":12,"attrs":2406,"content":2407},{"backgroundColor":53},[2408,2413,2418,2423,2428,2433,2438,2443,2448,2453,2458,2463,2468,2473,2478,2483,2488,2493,2498,2503,2508,2513,2518,2523,2528,2533,2538,2543,2548,2553],{"type":15,"attrs":2409,"content":2410},{"textAlign":53},[2411],{"text":2412,"type":303},"While in the elevator of a Vancouver hospital, Michelle Grant was surprised to see a poster promoting Indigenous support services available to patients. It was exactly the kind of support she would have appreciated receiving. There were just two problems.",{"type":15,"attrs":2414,"content":2415},{"textAlign":53},[2416],{"text":2417,"type":303},"First, she was nearing the end of her treatment and wouldn’t be able to make use of it.",{"type":15,"attrs":2419,"content":2420},{"textAlign":53},[2421],{"text":2422,"type":303},"Second, she had arrived in Vancouver already shaped by a health journey that offered little cultural safety and a lot to recover from.",{"type":15,"attrs":2424,"content":2425},{"textAlign":53},[2426],{"text":2427,"type":303},"Grant had been a patient at the Vancouver hospital for nearly seven weeks, after being airlifted from Whitehorse, Yukon – a journey of almost 1,500 kilometers. She said that her back pain had been so excruciating that “I knew something was horribly wrong.”",{"type":15,"attrs":2429,"content":2430},{"textAlign":53},[2431],{"text":2432,"type":303},"But that pain hadn’t come out of nowhere. ",{"type":339,"attrs":2434,"content":2435},{"level":341,"textAlign":53},[2436],{"text":2437,"type":303},"The two years that changed who she was",{"type":15,"attrs":2439,"content":2440},{"textAlign":53},[2441],{"text":2442,"type":303},"For two years, Grant had been seeking answers to pain that began as discomfort in her back. She visited her community health clinic, then a doctor who had provider care to her in the past. An X-ray was eventually ordered, but not for the part of her back that hurt. ",{"type":15,"attrs":2444,"content":2445},{"textAlign":53},[2446],{"text":2447,"type":303},"Grant’s back pain continued to get worse. She pushed for a CT scan and learned that her request had been triaged in the least-urgent category – meaning that she may be waiting six more months for the CT scan, and potential answers. Grant asked if she could be moved to the most urgent category, but she never heard back. The CT scan never happened.",{"type":15,"attrs":2449,"content":2450},{"textAlign":53},[2451],{"text":2452,"type":303},"As her discomfort became debilitating pain, Grant moved in with a friend who had an adjustable bed and a walk-in shower. “At this point, I was practically bedridden,” she shares. “I lost confidence, was depressed, and fighting suicidal thoughts.”",{"type":15,"attrs":2454,"content":2455},{"textAlign":53},[2456],{"text":2457,"type":303},"Grant and her loved ones were at a loss about what to do next.",{"type":15,"attrs":2459,"content":2460},{"textAlign":53},[2461],{"text":2462,"type":303},"“Throughout these years, I was continually treated by too many medical staff like I was drug-seeking, with nuances of racism and a lack of cultural and community knowledge and understanding sprinkled in,” says Grant. “The last time I went to the health centre, I was told that I had more pills at home than they did, and not to come back unless I had something new happening.” ",{"type":15,"attrs":2464,"content":2465},{"textAlign":53},[2466],{"text":2467,"type":303},"The morning Grant woke up feeling like something was horribly wrong, a friend drove her two hours to the nearest emergency room. She was admitted three times in four days. CT scans were discussed but not provided.",{"type":15,"attrs":2469,"content":2470},{"textAlign":53},[2471],{"text":2472,"type":303}," “I asked my daughter to get us to the hospital and told her we weren’t leaving,” says Grant. “I just had a feeling something bad was going to happen.”",{"type":15,"attrs":2474,"content":2475},{"textAlign":53},[2476],{"text":2477,"type":303},"On the fourth day, a persistent effort from the ER doctor on shift resulted in the imagery Grant had long advocated for. That’s when things started moving quickly: less than an hour after the scan, Grant found out she would be airlifted to Vancouver within the next day.",{"type":15,"attrs":2479,"content":2480},{"textAlign":53},[2481],{"text":2482,"type":303},"By the time Grant received the surgery she needed, her spinal cord had begun to collapse from a mass that had already destroyed more than two of her vertebrae. ",{"type":15,"attrs":2484,"content":2485},{"textAlign":53},[2486],{"text":2487,"type":303},"“The best guess initially was multiple myeloma,” says Grant. “But after the surgery, the confirmed diagnosis was a rare form of blood cancer.”",{"type":15,"attrs":2489,"content":2490},{"textAlign":53},[2491],{"text":2492,"type":303},"Once medical imaging identified the abnormality on Grant’s spine, her care became urgent. But getting to that point had been the opposite of urgent. Grant is still navigating the trauma it has caused her.",{"type":15,"attrs":2494,"content":2495},{"textAlign":53},[2496],{"text":2497,"type":303},"“My self-esteem took such a kicking,” she says. “I’m shocked how I went from a strong-minded, independent advocate to an isolated, scared, quiet girl.”",{"type":339,"attrs":2499,"content":2500},{"level":341,"textAlign":53},[2501],{"text":2502,"type":303},"Lessons for safer care",{"type":15,"attrs":2504,"content":2505},{"textAlign":53},[2506],{"text":2507,"type":303},"Grant’s experience is shaped by her identity as a member of the inland Teslin Tlingit First Nation community, by the geographic reality of living in a northern community two hours from the nearest emergency room, and by the necessity and distance of inter-jurisdictional travel when significant care is needed.",{"type":15,"attrs":2509,"content":2510},{"textAlign":53},[2511],{"text":2512,"type":303},"“Living in the north is beautiful, but very scary when you need to get to where the best help can be given and where resources and technology are most easily accessible,” says Grant.",{"type":15,"attrs":2514,"content":2515},{"textAlign":53},[2516],{"text":2517,"type":303},"While her journey continues to this day, it also holds important lessons for healthcare providers and system leaders that can help improve the safety of the care they provide.",{"type":339,"attrs":2519,"content":2520},{"level":341,"textAlign":53},[2521],{"text":2522,"type":303},"Listening and believing are not the same",{"type":15,"attrs":2524,"content":2525},{"textAlign":53},[2526],{"text":2527,"type":303},"Trained as a social worker, Grant sees how some of the principles social workers practise can be applied in a healthcare context to support safer care for patients.",{"type":15,"attrs":2529,"content":2530},{"textAlign":53},[2531],{"text":2532,"type":303},"“We’re taught that if somebody says they’ve been hurt, the best thing to do is believe them, even if you have questions, because you can never take that back,” she explains. “And when they’re believed, it helps soften a lot of the trauma. Had I been believed until medical research showed different, it would have changed a world of things for me.”",{"type":339,"attrs":2534,"content":2535},{"level":341,"textAlign":53},[2536],{"text":2537,"type":303},"A trusted presence can improve the care experience",{"type":15,"attrs":2539,"content":2540},{"textAlign":53},[2541],{"text":2542,"type":303},"Grant says the biggest influence on her sense of safety was having her adult daughter with her in Vancouver as a medical chaperone – a family member who is a partner in the care. ",{"type":15,"attrs":2544,"content":2545},{"textAlign":53},[2546],{"text":2547,"type":303},"“My daughter was my connection to my family and home, and somebody I could trust,” she explains. “By then, I didn’t want to share with anybody else what was going on. I was shutting down because it was hard enough to be vulnerable and to ask for help and to be rejected.”",{"type":339,"attrs":2549,"content":2550},{"level":341,"textAlign":53},[2551],{"text":2552,"type":303},"Create space for patient voices",{"type":15,"attrs":2554,"content":2555},{"textAlign":53},[2556],{"text":2557,"type":303},"“One of the first things I lost was my voice. And looking back, nothing good can come of that,” says Grant. “Allowing each other space for voices makes a difference. I know I felt safer and better when a medical professional would just take a second to check in and ask, ‘Did you understand that? Do you have any questions?’ but in a way that they’re not walking out the door when they’re saying it.”",{"id":16,"cta":2559,"_uid":2563,"items":2564,"title":578,"component":579},[2560],{"_uid":2561,"link":2562,"label":567,"component":568},"effc1929-2b95-41b6-aed5-444b568a10b7",{"id":558,"url":16,"linktype":559,"fieldtype":560,"cached_url":561},"6d728911-d3c5-478d-b621-0438ea28a6d3",[571,275,572,573,574,575,576],{"id":16,"_uid":2566,"items":2567,"component":617},"320364fd-4780-4d7c-92de-796113be2863",[2568],{"_uid":2569,"link":2570,"image":2574,"title":16,"component":599,"description":2576},"13dcc0b8-54b0-4fb2-a4e9-6d45df456bdd",[2571],{"_uid":2572,"link":2573,"label":594,"component":568},"5556f0f1-a714-48f8-a063-02584e79c94f",{"id":589,"url":16,"linktype":559,"fieldtype":560,"cached_url":590},{"id":596,"alt":16,"name":16,"focus":16,"title":16,"source":16,"filename":597,"copyright":16,"fieldtype":290,"meta_data":2575,"is_external_url":293},{},{"type":12,"attrs":2577,"content":2578},{"backgroundColor":53},[2579,2586],{"type":15,"attrs":2580,"content":2581},{"textAlign":53},[2582,2583],{"text":607,"type":303},{"text":609,"type":303,"marks":2584},[2585],{"type":374},{"type":15,"attrs":2587,"content":2588},{"textAlign":53},[2589],{"text":616,"type":303},[],"care-has-the-power-to-transform","updates\u002Fcare-has-the-power-to-transform",-9570,[],"ca575cf0-008c-4320-8f69-d981336cb00e","2026-10-22T13:29:30.046Z",[],[2599],{"path":2600,"name":2601,"lang":633,"published":566},"actualites-et-perspectives\u002Fle-pouvoir-transformateur-des-soins","Le pouvoir transformateur des soins. 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