STEPHANIE MONTESANTI — PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR — SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA

Examining the role of Indigenous primary healthcare across the globe in supporting populations during public health crises

Recent innovations in health service delivery that were introduced during the pandemic should not only be maintained for fostering resilient health systems against future health emergencies like COVID-19 but also to meet the needs of Indigenous peoples. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated most notably that sovereignty, leadership, and knowledge of Indigenous communities is an essential foundation for public health during times of crisis, and that building on existing relationships is a strong platform for service delivery.

Understanding virtual primary healthcare with Indigenous populations: a rapid evidence review

The delivery of virtual care for Indigenous populations comes with several limitations and barriers, including the increasing cost of technology, lack of accessibility, challenges with digital literacy, and language barriers. Indigenous leadership and users need to be partners in the development, implementation and evaluation of virtual care, as well as there must be time allocated to educate Indigenous partners on digital literacy, virtual care infrastructure and its benefits and limitations.

A First Nations framework for emergency planning: A community-based response to the health and social effects from a flood

International Journal of Indigenous 2019

DOI: 10.32799/ijih.v14i1.31952

Authors: Stephanie Montesanti, Wilfreda E Thurston, David Turner, Reynold Medicine Traveler

Important lessons for a framework for Indigenous disaster planning can be learned from this case study of a Siksika Nation flood response. In order to construct an adequate emergency response that goes beyond strict concepts of federal, provincial, and First Nation obligations, such a framework necessitates the creation of new intergovernmental connections by all partners.

Identifying Priorities, Directions and a Vision for Indigenous Mental Health Using a Collaborative and Consensus-Based Facilitation Approach

Forum participants described mental health and well-being around holistic concepts of social and emotional well-being. The promotion of mental health for all Indigenous peoples, especially for higher risk sub-groups such as children and youth, involves multi-sectoral action in a variety of settings, including within community and schools, through programs, policies, and other interventions.

Centering Indigenous knowledge in suicide prevention: a critical scoping review

Suicide-related outcomes are improved when Indigenous knowledge and methods are prioritized in suicide prevention. It has been demonstrated that programs based on community participation and which incorporate ndigenous culture, knowledge, and decolonizing techniques significantly affect outcomes related to suicide at individual and communal levels.

Health Systems Responsiveness in Addressing Indigenous Residents' Health and Mental Health Needs Following the 2016 Horse River Wildfire in Northern Alberta, Canada: Perspectives From Health Service Providers

Adopting a health equity lens in post-disaster recovery planning is essential in reducing the disproportionate impacts on Indigenous residents and communities, and paying attention to the coloial roots of disaster and emergency management procedures can help Indigenous communities in healing from a public health emergency.

Moving the Agenda Forward Together: Innovating Indigenous Primary Care in Alberta, Strategic Event Report 2016

Cumming School of Medicine

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/10765

Authors: Henderson, Rita Isabel, Crowshoe, Lynden (Lindsay), Montesanti, Stephanie, Leduc, Charles

Practitioners, policy-makers, and planners in Alberta note that quality primary care for Indigenous people is undermined by significant structural gaps and deficiencies. In spite of some recent innovations, Alberta seems to lag behind similar jurisdictions, such as Ontario and British Columbia, in mobilizing structures to improve primary care delivery that is culturally safe, acceptable and equitable for Indigenous people.

Examining Policy Shifts and Transformations in Indigenous Primary Health Care in Alberta, Canada

Health Reform Observer Vol.10

DOI: 10.13162/hro-ors.v10i3.5299

Authors: Danika Goveas, Stephanie Montesanti, Susan Chatwood, Lynden Lindsay Crowshoe

Primary health care (PHC) transformation continues to be identified as a key pathway to achieve health equity for Indigenous peoples. In Alberta, varying degrees of PHC services exist within First Nations, Métis, and urban contexts that are fragmented, under-resourced, and disconnected from each other, perpetuating existing health inequities. A retrospective policy analysis was conducted to a) analyze federal, provincial, and local policies to advance Indigenous PHC in Alberta; and b) examine the engagement of Indigenous peoples in PHC policy and decision-making.

Advancing Indigenous primary health care policy in Alberta, Canada

Health Policy (Amsterdam) Vol.122

DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2018.04.014

Authors: Henderson, Rita, Montesanti, Stephanie, Crowshoe, Lindsay, Leduc, Charles

Canadian healthcare must address a legacy of colonial harm to Indigenous peoples. Primary health care is a key pathway for achieving Indigenous health equity. Overlapping jurisdictions, diversity, and inter-professional coordination complicate Indigenous health policy reform. Collaborative strategies can mobilize partnerships amid political, social, infrastructural, and jurisdictional complexity. For Indigenous people worldwide, accessing Primary Health Care (PHC) services responsive to socio-cultural realities is challenging, with institutional inequities in healthcare and jurisdictional barriers encumbering patients, providers, and decision-makers.