Health Care Delivery to Ontario’s Northern Remote Indigenous Communities During the COVID-19 Pandemic | May 4, 2022

The Empire Club of Canada Presents: Health Care Delivery to Ontario’s Northern Remote Indigenous Communities During the COVID-19 Pandemic The Covid-19 pandemic has strained Ontario’s health care system over the past two years as hospitals and health care professionals struggled to support patients in every corner of the province, despite increase workloads and persistent staffing shortages.   As Ontario appears to be turning the corner with regards to this last Omicron wave, there remains an urgent and under-reported crisis in northern and remote communities in Ontario.  Remote and indigenous communities continue to face challenges accessing basic and emergency medical care, and this problem has been worsened during the pandemic because of the burn out of health care professionals.    This panel will explore some of these stories and how these communities were supported during the pandemic.  More importantly, this panel will reflect on the urgent need for improving health care delivery to these underserviced areas of the province.  Moderator: Willow Fiddler Staff Reporter The Globe and Mail Speaker: Dr. Isaac Bogoch, Infectious Diseases Specialist, University of Toronto and Toronto General Hospital Alvin Fiddler, Health Transformation Lead and Negotiator, Nishnawbe Aski Nation Homer Tien, MD, President & CEO, Ornge *The content presented is free of charge but please note that the Empire Club of Canada retains copyright. Neither the speeches themselves nor any part of their content may be used for any purpose other than personal interest or research without the explicit permission of the Empire Club of Canada.* *Views and Opinions Expressed Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the speakers or panelists are those of the speakers or panelists and do not necessarily reflect or represent the official views and opinions, policy or position held by The Empire Club of Canada.*