Sudbury program inside Health Sciences North gets help from Bell Let's Talk

Mental health programs got a big boost from Bell ahead of Bell Let's Talk Day next week.

In total, $1.1 million in new grants for programs supporting Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour communities were handed out Tuesday.

It includes $75,000 for the Mshkikii Gamik Medicine Lodge Collaborative inside Sudbury's hospital Health Sciences North.

"People like to feel like they're seen and that they're heard and valuable and so part of making sure that we have culturally safe, relevant services actually supports healing, health and wellness overall," said Deanna Jones-Keeshig, director of Indigenous Health Services.

Located in the centre of the hospital, there's space for a fire, with traditional smudging and medicines.

The hope is to address each person's individual needs, which at times can be complex.

"We get a lot of patients that come from far away places like the James Bay coast area and a lot of times they're coming here alone," said Indigenous patient navigator Maitland Lortie.

“So to have Indigenous navigators and to have a place like the Medicine Lodge here for use brings a lot of comfort to those patients because a lot of times their families aren't here to support them.”

Lortie works one-on-one with patients, helping to determine the supports they'll need. The goal is to have an inclusive environment for the more than 5,000 patients from more than 41 First Nation communities, including the Anishinabek, Inuit, Metis and Cree nations.

"In a day, I would say we see about 20-30 patients walking in and out of here and the lodge is open for anyone to use," said Lortie.

"This place is a safe place … for them to come and connect to spirit, connect to their heart and their mind and their bodies, holistically," Jones-Keeshig said.

Since 2020, the fund has doled out roughly $4.5 million in grants.

Bell Let's Talk Day takes place Jan. 25.