Meet The Team

Learn more about the people and committees driving our mission

The Maamwesying Ontario Health Team staff coordinates efforts across its partners and beyond. The team is responsible for facilitating leadership and operations, and supporting working groups and committees through project management, meeting facilitation, relationship management and engagement.

Erica Perkins

Director

Carly St.Michel

Project Management Specialist,
Transitions in Care

Diedre Dupuis

Digital Health and Quality Improvement Project Assistant

Josée Sénéchal

North East Lower-Limb Preservation Demonstration Project Coordinator

Katie Humphries

Digital Health and Data Management Specialist

Melissa McCabe

Project Assistant for Transitions in Care

Michelle Brisbois

Chief Privacy Officer and Manager of Quality & Risk

Miranda Scott

Administrative Assistant

Sarah Allworth

Communications & Media Specialist

Introduction to committees

Maamwesying Ontario Health
Team Committees

Discover the committees fuelling progress and transformation at the Maamwesying Ontario Health Team.

Relative and Family Advisory Committee

Leadership Council

Collaborative Quality Improvement Sub-Committee

Digital Health Sub-Committee

Transitions in Care Sub-Committee

Lower Limb Preservation Planning Table

Best Practice Spotlight Organization Core Team

Mental Health Addictions Sub-Committee

Transitions in Care Implementation Working Groups (8)

Interested in learning more about the structure, role, or functions of the Maamwesying Ontario Health Team?

Leadership Structure

Maamwesying Ontario Health Team Structure (PDF, 129 KB)

Leadership Council

The Maamwesying Ontario Health Team is guided and governed by the Leadership Council, which provides direction and decision-making in project planning, design, and implementation activities.

The council is composed of representatives from each Core Member Partner of the Maamwesying Ontario Health Team. Recognizing the importance of co-designed health systems with individuals who have lived and living experience, the Leadership Council includes two representatives from the Relative and Family Advisory Council. These representatives play a crucial role in supporting the shared determination and decision-making that form the foundation of the Ontario Health Team.

Relative and Family Advisory Council

The Relative and Family Advisory Council is a cornerstone of the Maamwesying Ontario Health Team.

The Council is committed to furthering patients, families and caregivers’ engagement and involvement in co-designing the future of health care.

The Relative and Family Advisory Council is composed of members from the First Nations communities and the Urban Indigenous Population of Sault Ste. Marie, who are serviced and supported by the Maamwesying Ontario Health Team.

The term ‘relative’ as opposed to ‘patient’ is used by this council for good reason. Relative, conveys that you are not merely a number within the healthcare system, but rather you are being cared for as a family-member would be. The phrase ‘all my relations’ holds significant meaning within Indigenous communities, illustrating the Maamwesying Ontario Health Team’s commitment to anchoring its work in Indigenous ways of knowing and being.

The Maamwesying Ontario Health Team receives additional insight, support and guidance from the Senior Patient Advisory Council, a group of Elders and Knowledge Keepers from the First Nations Communities in the territory, who share their wisdom, cultural teachings, and experiences through specific project initiatives and events.

Relative and Family Advisory Council Declaration of Values Process

A declaration of values expresses the expectations that patients, families, and caregivers have of the healthcare system. It serves as a compass for people and organizations in healthcare, pointing toward the principles and values that are important to these groups.

In 2023, Ontario Health Teams across the province were tasked with adopting the Patient, Family and Caregiver Declaration of Values for Ontario.

The Relative and Family Advisory Council noted that the Declaration for Ontario did not represent their values, so they created a unique and culturally grounded Declaration of Values for adoption by the Maamwesying Ontario Health Team.

Art and storytelling are essential communication tools in First Nations culture, so the council collaborated with a local Indigenous artist to visually depict the Declaration of Values. The artist captured elements of stories, experiences, and teachings shared by the Relative and Family Advisory Council and the Senior Patient Advisory Council.

Learn More about the RFAC Declaration of Values

Relative, Family, and Caregiver Declaration of Values

Prior to European contact, Turtle Island, now referred to as North America, was home to the First Nations and Inuit Peoples. The Creation Story of Turtle Island is one that demonstrates collaboration, perseverance and a deep and lasting connection to the land, each other and all of creation.

The turtle teaches many lessons that reflect the values important to relatives, families, and caregivers in healthcare such as the importance of being patient and to uplift the strengths and gifts each person possesses. Turtles evoke feelings of wellness, love and care which are all essential elements for wholistic health and wellbeing.

Snapping turtles, as depicted in the Declaration of Values, embody the values of advocacy and integrity. Healthcare systems must be responsive to the needs and voices of Indigenous communities, and employees must recognize their responsibility in achieving this.

The medicine wheel represents a vast store of knowledge, with teachings so extensive and unique to each culture that they cannot be fully captured in this writeup. The shape of the circle symbolizes the cycle of life and serves as a reminder that everything is connected. The medicine wheel is divided into four parts, as the number four is often considered sacred, with several natural occurrences happening in fours. Each quadrant focuses on essential qualities or aspects of life on Earth:

West – Black – Physical – Adult- Maturity – Sage – Autumn – Earth

North – White – Mental – Elders – Death – Sweetgrass – Winter – Fire

East – Yellow – Spiritual – Babies – Birth – Tobacco – Spring – Water

South – Red – Emotional – Youth – Growth – Cedar – Summer – Wind

The medicine wheel teaches that well-being is achieved through balance. Healthcare delivery should be approached in this way, recognizing that no one domain is above or below another. Western medicine must be balanced with Traditional approaches to health to create a more wholistic and inclusive system. The stages of life remind us that health is continuous and evolving, as needs shift throughout one’s life.

Sacred Fires hold great significance in Indigenous culture and wellness. A sacred fire asks for positivity, respect, and open-mindedness from those involved, ensuring clear communication and a sense of connectedness with people on Earth and in the Spirit World. These teachings should be reflected in healthcare policy, planning, and delivery to foster a more inclusive and respectful system.

The Seven Grandfather teachings and Six Grandmother teachings are foundational morals that articulate the essential values needed in healthcare workers, organizations and systems.

Grandfather teachings:

Love- Zaagiidiwin

Honesty- Gwayakwaadiziwin

Truth- Debwewin

Humility- Dabasendiziwin

Respect- Manaajiidiwin

Bravery/Courage- Zoongideewin

Wisdom- Nibwaakaawin

Grandmother teachings:

Forgiveness – Boondendamowin

Purification – Biinichigaadewin

Protection – Ganawenjigaade

Sharing – Maadinamaadiwin

Kindness – Zhawenjigewin

Trust – Debweyendamowin

Traditional teachings are associated with each of the 13 moon phases, providing guidance on how to establish mino bamaadaziwin (the good life).

Spirit Moon (Jan) – Mnido Giiziz

Bear Moon (Feb) – Mkwa Giiziz

Sugar Moon (March) – Ziissbaakdoke Giizas

Sucker Moon (April) – Namebine Giiziz

Flower Moon (May) – Waawaakone Giizis

Strawberry Moon (June) – Ode’miin Giizis

Raspberry Moon (July) – Mskomini Giizis

Blackberry Moon or Thimbleberry Moon (July or August) – Datkaagmin

Corn Moon (August) – Mdaamiin Giizis

Falling Leaves Moon (September) – Biinaakwe Giizis

Freezing Moon (October) – Mshkawji Giiziz

Little Spirit Moon (November) – Mnidoons Giiizisoonhg

Blue Moon, Big Spirit Moon (December) – Mnidoons Giizis

Connecting this value to the expectations of the healthcare system, our relatives, families and caregivers are the guides of their health journey. The gifts and knowledge possessed by Indigenous Peoples belong in the conversation about healthcare policies and program development at local, regional, and provincial levels.

Colonialism has caused deep and lasting impacts on Indigenous Peoples and communities, resulting in a loss of culture and identity. The blue space within the turtle’s shell, as placed by the artist, sends a strong message of inclusivity and belonging. In healthcare, a person’s ability, race, ethnicity, language, background, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, socioeconomic status, education or location should not affect their ability to access equitable, high-quality care.

Key Initiatives

Discover how we’re developing a unified health system tailored to the distinct needs of our First Nation Communities.