Grant: Operating Grant - PA: Applying the “Two-eyed Seeing” model to Aboriginal Health

Our group has been working for 10 years with Northern Quebec Cree to provide scientific proof for the usefulness of Cree Traditional Medicine (TM) in the context of diabetes. We developed a mutually respectful, community-based, participatory research approach that includes a comprehensive research agreement protecting Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge and related intellectual property. The current project seeks to improve the safe and culturally appropriate access to Aboriginal TM by using the best of what both TM and modern health care systems have to offer. For this purpose, two Cree communities and one Innu community in Quebec will participate, in order to reflect various situations of primary health care delivery in an Aboriginal setting. Firstly, a review of models of "mixed care" (traditional and allopathic medicines) developed in Canada and abroad will be carried out to identify best practices. Secondly, sharing circle consultations will be organized with 1) users of health services, 2) healers and Elders, and 3) health professionals and administrators, to identify the barriers, facilitators and other factors influencing each group's perception of what is needed for safe and culturally appropriate access to TM. After the analysis of sharing circle results, all groups will then be reunited in workshops where results will be presented and discussed. Through small group discussions mingling all stakeholders, consensual solutions that satisfy all involved will then be identified. Based on an analysis of these solutions, a plan for the implementation of short-, medium- and longer-term changes to primary health care will be developed and begin to be put in place in each participating community. Finally, a general model of access to Aboriginal TM will be proposed to enable it to be exported, adapted and scaled up in Cree and Innu communities as well as other Aboriginal groups in the country.