When it comes to cancer treatment, there’s no place like home. This spring, a team from The Ottawa Hospital helped organize Nunavut’s first-ever oncology conference to figure out how to bring oncology care closer to home for patients.

Visitors to The Ottawa Hospital are now greeted by a prominent land acknowledgement, which has been installed by the main entrances at each of our three main campuses. It is paired with artwork by Simon Brascoupé and his daughter, Mairi Brascoupé, both from Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg.

A place to connect, share and listen, the Indigenous Employee Network at The Ottawa Hospital supports Indigenous staff. Mackenzie Daybutch, Program Coordinator, Indigenous woman, and trailblazer of the network explains why all hospitals should have one.

Although Inuit patients from Nunavut typically come to The Ottawa Hospital for cancer care, they can now receive more care close to home. It’s part of an ongoing partnership between The Ottawa Hospital and Qikiqtani General Hospital.

For many patients and families, spiritual practices can help manage the stress of time spent in hospital. For First Nations and Métis patients and families, these practices might include smudging ceremonies. The Ottawa Hospital now has a procedure in place to be able to respond to requests from patients and families for smudging ceremonies.

Nina Kautuq’s body is still healing from the 2015 tent fire that claimed the lives of her husband and three of her four children. But her emotional healing finally began in February, when she met the nurses and doctor who cared for her dying children.