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Wasaya Airways supports NOSM students’ menstrual product drive for  Fort Severn First Nation

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People in rural and remote Northern Ontario communities can expect to pay double the price for the same menstrual products found in larger cities in Ontario—it’s even higher for remote fly-in First Nations communities where a box of tampons can range from $16 to $45, forcing people to choose between menstrual products and groceries.

Ashley Perreault and Lucie Ménard, medical students at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM), organized a sustainable menstrual product drive for the fly-in community of Fort Severn First Nation—the most northern community in Ontario. In March 2021, they set a goal to raise $4,000 to cover the costs of the menstrual products. They quickly surpassed that goal with a successful GoFundMe campaign that raised a total of $6,180.

“The media interest in our work helped raise awareness with generous donations from community members across Northern Ontario, as well as NOSM’s Equity and Inclusion and Global Health student committees,” says Lucie.

Wasaya Airways has generously committed to covering all the shipping costs and will be delivering the products to the fly-in community. There will be menstrual kits available for every single menstruator in the community.

“Wasaya Airway’s donation is exactly the kind of community partnership required to make this student leadership effort a success,” says Dr. Sarita Verma, Dean, President and CEO of NOSM. “I’m continually impressed with the advocacy efforts of our medical students. These individuals are demonstrating the positive impact they will have on Northern communities as future physicians.”

“NOSM has an important relationship with Indigenous communities in Northern Ontario, who provide students with invaluable learning opportunities throughout their time in medical school,” Ashley says. “As students who are dedicated to addressing the priority health concerns of the people and communities of Northern Ontario, we were focused on relieving the financial burden on those who menstruate in Fort Severn.”

Support for the community was identified by Sam Senecal, NOSM’s Indigenous Affairs Community Coordinator, who is responsible for arranging all aspects of learner placements in Indigenous communities. The students consulted with Fort Severn’s Health Director to determine which reusable products would be the most appropriate for the community and reusable cloth pads were chosen.

The funds raised were used to create 125 menstrual kits which included: five reusable pads that were purchased at a discount from Lady Crimson Cloth Emporium in Sudbury; a waterproof wet bag discounted from Colibri Canada; a container of Oxi-All; a stain stick donated from The Old Soul Soap Company; and, instructions on how to wash the pads. Bleed the North donated 566 tampons and 196 single-use pads.

The position of Local Officer of Reproductive and Sexual Health at NOSM is an elected position with a one-year term. Both Ashley and Lucie hope future students will continue this initiative and ongoing advocacy and education about health inequities experienced by Indigenous communities in Northern Ontario.

Background

The NOSM medical students’ menstrual product drive started in 2017 for the communities of Attawapiskat and Fort Albany First Nations. The first drive received generous support from grocery stores in Sudbury and donations from the NOSM community. The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a renewed online fundraising effort to provide a sustainable solution for Fort Severn, with a focus on reusable products.

Evidence suggests that non-reusable menstrual products contribute to climate change with over 200 billion menstrual products being dumped into landfills every year. Chemicals in pads have been found to cause groundwater pollution, loss of soil fertility, and are hazardous to human and environmental health.

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About Wasaya Airways
Operating since 1989, Wasaya Airways, in partnership with Exchange Income Corporation, is comprised of ownership by 12 First Nations: Bearskin Lake; Fort Severn; Kasabonika Lake; Keewaywin; Kingfisher Lake; Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug; Muskrat Dam; Nibinamik; Pikangikum; Sandy Lake; Wapekeka; and Wunnumin Lake.

About the Northern Ontario School of Medicine
The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is an award-winning socially accountable medical school renowned for its innovative model of distributed, community-engaged education and research. With a focus on diversity, inclusion, and advocacy for health equity, NOSM relies on the commitment and expertise of the peoples and communities of Northern Ontario to educate health-care professionals to practise in Indigenous, Francophone, rural, remote and underserved communities. NOSM’s graduates, faculty, learners and staff are changemakers who lead health-system transformation in Northern Ontario. The School is a recipient of the Charles Boelen International Social Accountability Award from the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada and the prestigious ASPIRE award, which recognize international excellence in social accountability and medical education.

For further information, please contact: news@nosm.ca

Addressing the Gaps, Alumni Stories, In the Spotlight, Indigenous Stories

Helping close the gap on psychiatry shortages

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Dr. Zoe Michano-Furlotte, NOSM alumna (MD 2016, BScN Lakehead University), completed her fourth year of residency in psychiatry in Thunder Bay and is entering her fifth and final year. Zoe is a member of Biigtigong Nishnaabeg and is from the town of Caramat, which is now part of the community of Greenstone.

“I’m hoping to work at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre and provide outreach care with regional Indigenous communities to work together to improve access and mental health services,” says Zoe.

“I have a bigger dream to expand my practice to specialize in Indigenous mental health and women’s perinatal and postnatal mental health, with a focus on intergenerational trauma,” she explains.

Zoe recently completed an elective through the Women’s College at Mount Sinai with the prenatal program. She says being able to complete her residency at NOSM is the main reason she was able to advance her career.

“I’m very family-oriented and it is very important to me that I could complete my residency at home here in Northern Ontario at NOSM,” she says. “It is important to me that I can be here for my nephews and niece. I am close to my parents, my sister and my grandmothers. My supportive fiancé and family are huge factors for me to be successful in my residency program.”

She says NOSM residency is unique because it is flexible and her preceptors made her feel part of a family. Zoe is close to the program director and site director, describing them as very supportive. “I don’t think this is the experience in larger psychiatry programs in Toronto and elsewhere in Ontario.”

As an MD alumna, what stands out most to Zoe about the NOSM MD program were the experiences in Indigenous communities. “That’s something we’re working on in the psychiatry residency program—developing an Indigenous stream for psychiatry collaboration with the University of Toronto and McMaster University,” says Zoe.

The challenge now is the lack of psychiatrists across all of Northern Ontario and the critically long wait lists for care.

“Sadly, we don’t have enough psychiatrists in Thunder Bay. That begs the question, how can we offer outreach psychiatry care to rural and remote communities when we cannot provide enough mental health services in our tertiary centres? Also, to access residency electives in rural communities we must have enough staff psychiatrists to support teaching,” Zoe says. “I have optimism that this will change in the future as many new psychiatrists have stayed to practise at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.”

Her dream is to be part of filling the gap in care, addressing change and advocating for more psychiatrists in Northern Ontario who plan to stay in the North to deliver care. “My ultimate goal is to be able to go to communities and bring care to them.”

She highlights significant improvements that have been made by health partners, including St. Joseph’s Care Group in Thunder Bay and the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre who have actively recruited more psychiatrists in recent years. However, Zoe says with the increasing demand coupled with the pandemic, there is a need for the province to ramp up increased funding and psychiatric care. There is also room to grow out-patient services for specific programs including renal, cancer and maternal care, and specifically for outreach to patients in rural, remote communities.

“What’s exciting is that I know a lot of the junior psychiatry residents are planning to stay here, so that’s wonderful. It’s a sign that there is more to come and opportunities through effective therapeutic alliances. However, critical issues need to be addressed as soon as possible. For example, the disproportionate rates of suicidal ideation and suicide in Indigenous populations, which are five to seven times higher than the general population.”

Zoe says the key is to offer proper access to care by improving relationships that acknowledge the violence of colonization and residential school intergenerational trauma, which have led to high rates of mental illness.

“Identifying the impact colonization and residential school had on my family, drives me to want to learn more, support one another and makes me really want to help. This work is very meaningful in my life. I definitely have a willingness to do more research, make those connections and meet with people to ask them what the community needs, then try to advocate with them,” says Zoe.

“Medicine has been a decade of my life’s work but it doesn’t feel like it. Learning and growing is part of my goal. My elective with Dr. Diane Whitney [outgoing Psychiatry Program Director at NOSM] was a turning point for me, and it’s important to do what you’re passionate about. I’m just so lucky that I found psychiatry.”

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Two NOSM students receive CIBC Indigenous Learner Leadership Award

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$47,500 awarded for demonstrating leadership and mentorship within school and community.

Mélanie-Rose Frappier and Alison Lewis, both fourth-year medical students at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM), are the inaugural recipients of newly established CIBC Indigenous Learner Leadership Awards. The awards recognize self-identified Indigenous learners at NOSM who demonstrate exceptional leadership and mentorship within the School and community.

“Mélanie-Rose and Alison are fantastic leaders with a strong commitment to promoting access to health care, Indigenous culture, anti-racism, equity and inclusion,” says Dr. Sarita Verma, Dean, President and CEO of NOSM. “They are compassionate individuals who have made a real difference and will continue to do so as future physicians in Northern Ontario.”

Each student will receive the prestigious award of $20,000 and a professional development budget of $3,750 and are supported with networking resources. The students will become active members of the Indigenous Reference Group and the Indigenous Health Education Committee at NOSM during the fourth year of their MD program. As student members, they provide insight and actionable items to support future Indigenous health learners at NOSM and in Northern Ontario.

Social accountability is a core value at NOSM and is instilled in students and learners throughout their educational experience. Both award recipients expressed gratitude and their personal commitment to advancing social accountability in health care.

“Thank you for this award. I am truly honoured,” says Mélanie-Rose Frappier, who also holds an undergraduate degree in Indigenous Studies. “Health and culture are my passions, and I plan to include both Western and Indigenous ways of thinking and healing in my future practice. I truly believe that in order to heal we must focus on all aspects of health including the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.”

“As a future Indigenous family physician in Northern Ontario, I have an important advocacy role in Indigenous health leadership. I intend to continue to support Indigenous students, advocate for changes that improve health disparities, and foster culturally safe environments for all Indigenous patients,” says Alison Lewis. “Thank you for this incredible opportunity.”

NOSM received a donation from CIBC in May 2020 to establish this new initiative designed to promote and recognize Indigenous learner leadership and mentorship. These awards will also improve learning and networking opportunities available to recipients.

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The Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM) is an award-winning socially accountable medical school renowned for its innovative model of distributed, community-engaged education and research. With a focus on diversity, inclusion, and advocacy for health equity, NOSM relies on the commitment and expertise of the peoples and communities of Northern Ontario to educate health-care professionals to practise in Indigenous, Francophone, rural, remote and underserved communities.

On June 3, 2021, the Government of Ontario passed legislation to make NOSM the first stand-alone medical university in Canada.

For further information, please contact: news@nosm.ca

 

Student Biographies

Mélanie-Rose Frappier
Third-Year Medical Student, Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM Class of 2022)

Mélanie-Rose Frappier is from Sudbury and identifies as Métis and Francophone. She graduated from Laurentian University in 2018 with an undergraduate degree in Indigenous Studies. At age 16 she created her own non-profit organization called C’est Cool d’être en Santé, with the goal of educating youth about the importance of physical activity and created a declaration focusing on the educational inequalities facing Indigenous youth. She is the founder of several NOSM interest groups, including the Indigenous Cultural Activities Interest Group, the Self-Accountability Group, and is co-president of the Anti-Racism Book Club. Mélanie-Rose plans to practise family medicine in Indigenous and Francophone communities in Northern Ontario.

 

Alison Lewis
Third Year Medical Student, Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM Class of 2022)

Alison Lewis, a Métis NOSM medical student, was born in Sioux Lookout and grew up in Manitoba. She holds an undergraduate degree in biology and chemistry, and completed her thesis in organic chemistry. She spent her third year of medical school in Sioux Lookout where she worked with Indigenous patients and in several Northern fly-in communities. Alison plans to work as a family physician in Northern Ontario.