A new initiative in Montreal is challenging health-care providers to rethink how they build trust with their patients, starting with a clinic that brings gynecological care to Indigenous women in a space where they feel safe and heard. For Florence Milette, some lessons couldn’t be learned in a classroom. “I kind of was exposed to a reality that I didn’t really realize before,” said the OB-GYN Université de Montreal resident. During her medical training in Maniwaki, a town nearly 300 kilometres northwest of Montreal, Millette saw firsthand some of the barriers Indigenous women face when seeking gynecological care. She and McGill medical student Allison Engo turned that experience into “her circle of care,” a clinic bringing women’s health services into a community setting. “Doctor’s appointment shouldn’t be something that’s scary, that’s frightening, that’s related to a traumatic experience,” said Engo. The clinic aims to make care more accessible to this population, while acknowledging the impact of systemic racism and other harms these women face within the health-care system. Lead physician Dr. Annie Leung says improving care also means learning from mistakes. “It’s important because you’re coming to a space where you and the woman across the room from you are on common ground trying to find a common solution,” said Leung. That requires making room for conversations that can’t be rushed. At the clinic, appointments aren’t dictated by the clock. “Time is so important to be able to build that trusting relationship with somebody you’ve just met, especially when it comes to women’s care and gynecological care,” said Engo. That trust depends on listening to the community itself, said Millette. “That’s something that is often forgotten,” she said. “We want to do well, but we don’t listen enough to what is needed.” “Her circle of care” operates at Saralikitaaq, a community social pediatric centre in Little Burgundy. From the art on the walls to the way staff approach their work, the clinic’s director says its location is intentional. “Having access to this service with people at a place that they know and trust already just makes it so much easier for everybody involved,” said Saralikitaaq director Jennifer Lee. Beyond screenings and health advice, she says the clinic helps Indigenous women take back their power. “So that they have a say and they have control over their own bodies, over their own health,” said Lee. Since launching in January, the initiative has held four clinics and seen about 30 women.
