Honouring Heather Winterstein and Standing Against Anti-Indigenous Racism
St. Catharines, ON – This week marks four years since the tragic death of Heather Winterstein, a 24-year-old Anishnawbe Kwe community member. Her passing is a painful reminder to the Niagara Ontario Health Team – Équipe Santé Ontario Niagara (NOHT-ÉSON) and its partners of the urgent need to confront anti-Indigenous racism and long-standing inequities in health and social care.
On December 9, 2021, Heather went to Niagara Health’s St. Catharines site with severe back pain after a fall. She was discharged home with Tylenol. She returned to the hospital on December 10, 2021, and later collapsed and died while in the emergency department.
Following her death, an independent Emergency Department Assessment Panel reviewed Niagara Health’s emergency services and made 10 recommendations to improve care and experiences for Indigenous Peoples. In response, an Indigenous Health Services Plan was developed by Niagara Health to improve access, strengthen cultural safety, and support traditional healing practices within the hospital, including the creation of an Indigenous Health Services and Reconciliation Team.
The NOHT-ÉSON remains committed to ensuring that health and social care planning in Niagara supports Indigenous communities and reflects reconciliation efforts, while continuing to work in allyship with Indigenous-led organizations to improve care in the region. Indigenous health is one of the six pillars in the NOHT-ÉSON 2024–2027 Strategic Plan, and learning opportunities, such as Indigenous cultural safety training, are offered to NOHT-ÉSON staff, volunteers, and partners.
We all have a role to play in making sure Indigenous people receive high-quality, safe, timely, and culturally-based services that reflect Indigenous traditions.
An inquest into Heather’s death was announced on June 5, 2024. A date and location have not yet been set. The NOHT-ÉSON is committed to listening and learning from the jury’s recommendations and working with Indigenous partners to help ensure that what happened to Heather does not happen again, and that Indigenous voices are prioritized in all aspects of care.
