Arthritis At Home Episode 107 – Dr. Cheryl Barnabe on racism against Indigenous Peoples in Alberta ERs
In this episode of Arthritis At Home, Dr. Cheryl Barnabe walks us through a study she has co-authored and published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal that shows evidence of widespread discrimination against Indigenous patients in Alberta hospital emergency departments. Data collected from 11 million emergency room visits between 2012 and 2017 found that emergency room staff consistently rated First Nations people as less urgent than non-Indigenous patients.
Dr. Barnabe is a Métis rheumatologist with a graduate degree in Clinical Epidemiology. She is one of Canada’s leading researchers focused on identifying and resolving health system care gaps for Indigenous patients. She is a Vice-Chair in the Department of Medicine (Indigenous Health), Chair of the Quality Care Committee for the Canadian Rheumatology Association, and a member of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Indigenous Health Advisory Committee.
Check out these resources to learn more
- First Nations Status and emergency department triage scores in Alberta: a retrospective study – https://www.cmaj.ca/content/194/2/E37
- Health inequities in arthritis: Structural racism affecting Indigenous Peoples’ healthcare 0 https://bit.ly/ACEJHIStructuralRacism
- National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation: Questions to ask yourself – https://bit.ly/3ohHyF6