Eastern Health - Aboriginal Health

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Aboriginal Health

Eastern Health’s Aboriginal Patient Navigator (APN) Program, introduced in 2009, is a bridge between Aboriginal communities and their culture and their respective health professionals.

Aboriginal patient navigators support Aboriginal patients and their families navigate the complexities of the health-care system. The APN program offers support to First Nations, Inuit and Metis people who are referred to St. John’s for medical treatment. With assistance from the APN, patients and their families have a better understanding of their diagnosis, health-care plans and treatment options.

Aboriginal patient navigators are also patient advocates, assisting and guiding the organization and other health providers to incorporate Aboriginal cultural aspects into health-care services.

What does an Aboriginal patient navigator do?

Aboriginal patient navigators do a number of things to help their patients feel more at ease in the hospital setting, they:

provide referral, advocacy and support to Aboriginal patients to help them access the most appropriate health care and community services;
arrange for translation services in Innu-Aimun and Inuktitut if required, to ensure patients and families understand the care provided;
escort patients to medical appointments; and
make recommendations for, and assist with, accommodations, discharge planning and access to medical supplies.

Contact information

The Aboriginal Patient Navigator office is located in the:

Women’s Health Centre (across from the Tim Horton’s on the main patient entrance)

Health Science Centre, St. John’s

Monday to Friday

8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

To contact an Aboriginal patient navigator, please call: 709-777-2199 or 709-777-2110.

To learn more about this program, please read some of the stories regarding Aboriginal Health services at Eastern Health.

Links

Resources for health professionals

Eastern Health's Provincial Cancer Care Program has developed a series of Aboriginal resources to support cancer care. Please follow the links below to access them:

Updated Nov 6, 2017

For Health Professionals

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