Blending Western medicine and tradition: Indigenous clinic opens in Montreal

“It's unique,” said Michelle Reis-Amores, the executive director of the Indigenous Health Centre of Tiohtià:ke, about the first urgent health clinic in Montreal to serve Indigenous people. Gareth Madoc-Jones reports.

By Gareth Madoc-Jones

Posted August 9, 2023 2:37 pm.

Last Updated August 9, 2023 6:57 pm.

An emergency care clinic catering exclusively to Indigenous People opened in Montreal Wednesday.

It’s being described as the first of its kind in the city.

Spearheaded by the Indigenous Health Centre of Tiotihà:ke, the clinic is expected to combine Western medicine with traditional Indigenous approaches.

“It’s unique because it’s serving predominantly urban Indigenous People of the Montreal area,” said executive director Michelle Reis-Amores. “And it’s done by bringing both the allopathic medicine as well as bringing in the knowledge of Indigenous people.

“It’s really starting out. I think that predominantly the population that we’re going to be serving are Indigenous that are more hard to reach. It is for all Indigenous, but it’s predominantly for urban Indigenous. So it could potentially be that we are going to serve more of the Indigenous that are hard to reach.”

The clinic will be open Wednesdays for 15-minute appointments. They hope to extend their hours in the coming months to Monday to Friday.

Montreal emergency care clinic for Indigenous People, on Aug. 9, 2023. (Gareth Madoc-Jones/CityNews)

Dominick Mikkelson, who works at the health centre as an administrative assistant, is a Cree Mohawk from Treaty Six territory near Edmonton.

“I’m the one that’s going to keep everything running, make sure all the filings are done, as well as be the friendly face that welcomes people in the door,” said Mikkelson.

“Getting services and an Indigenous perspective as well is incredibly important because as First Nations people, we’re having issues with racism.”

Dominick Mikkelson at the Montreal emergency care clinic for Indigenous People, on Aug. 9, 2023. (Gareth Madoc-Jones/CityNews)

The death of Joyce Echaquan in a Joliette hospital in 2020 led to renewed calls from advocates and the community to create an Indigenous emergency care clinic.

The 37-year-old Atikamekw mother filmed hospital staff making disparaging remarks about her during her final moments. Echaquan’s death led to widespread protests in Montreal, with demonstrators urging the Quebec government to assert systemic racism existed in the province.

“When an Indigenous person walks in the door… they do not want to see a white person sitting at the desk going, ‘why are you here?’” Mikkelson said. “They want to see somebody that’s going to greet them and say Inuktatuk or they want to see somebody who’s going to greet them in Cree or greet them in Mohawk.”