There can often be language and cultural barriers between health care providers and Indigenous or newcomer communities.

That's why Lindsey Boechler, the research chair for cultural empowerment at Sask Polytechnic is devising a research project that could potentially lead to a change within the curriculum for those going into health care services.

"I want to have a small focus. I'm looking for passionate individuals who have potentially been patients themselves or their family members have been patients. I'm just looking to hear stories about what barriers did they face or what was done really well and taking those answers out to other health care providers to leverage that into our field practices."

Right now, Boechler is only in the early stages of the project and is currently working on formulating the research question itself. She hopes to find a community of newcomers or Indigenous peoples within Moose Jaw that would be willing to share their experiences with receiving health care services. From there, she will be able to start collecting data through interviews and surveys within that community that will enable her to formulate some conclusions about how health care providers can better meet the needs of that community in a way that is culturally respectful. 

"There's often a lot of cultural trauma when newcomers move to Moose Jaw. So we just need to take that into consideration in our treatment plans. Like explaining what we are doing and asking permission. I think it's really just about getting over that assumption that our care plans can always be the same with whoever we are treating." 

Boechler hopes to be able to make the process of receiving health care less stressful by getting health care providers to be more aware of the differences between their own culture and that of their patients.

If you have any interest in sharing your experiences with receiving health care services, Boechler welcomes you to contact her at 306-531-6514.