Six Nations Polytechnic and St. Joseph’s Health System partner to create a culturally safe, person-centred approach to health care education and compassionate care
BRANTFORD, ON – One of Ontario’s first Indigenous living classrooms has opened its doors at a long-term care centre in Brantford, creating new opportunities for students to learn culturally safe, person-centred care.
The living classroom, created through a partnership with Six Nations Polytechnic and St. Joseph’s Health System, will provide new learning opportunities for all students while enhancing the availability of culturally safe, appropriate care for Indigenous patients.
"The Living Classroom reflects what is possible when organizations come together with a shared commitment to learning, relationships and community,” said Dr. Rick Anderson, interim president and CEO, Six Nations Polytechnic, “At Six Nations Polytechnic, Indigenous ways of knowing and being inform how we approach education, and St. Joseph’s Health System has created an environment where our learners can experience those values through meaningful relationships with residents, healthcare professionals and the broader care team. We are grateful to St. Joe’s for its openness, its commitment to our learners and its willingness to work alongside us as we prepare the next generation of healthcare professionals to provide culturally safe, compassionate care."
Living classrooms combine the best practices of clinical training with hands-on experience for learners, helping them develop the confidence and skills they need to succeed. With a curriculum grounded in Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe teachings, the Brantford living classroom focuses on providing care with humility, transparency and from a culturally informed perspective.
“Ontario’s Indigenous Institutes are mobilizing one of the fastest-growing parts of our province’s workforce: Indigenous youth,” said Nolan Quinn, Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security. “This living classroom in partnership with Six Nations Polytechnic and the St. Joseph’s Health System will ensure that the next generation of PSWs can get the hands-on training and skills they need to deliver high-quality, culturally sensitive care in communities across Ontario.”
By incorporating traditional teachings into their day-to-day activities, learners working to become personal support workers are taught to better understand the experiences and history that inform the people they support. They are provided with real-world experience to meet the unique needs of long-term care residents. Students practice in simulation labs before interacting with residents of St. Joseph’s Lifecare Centre, giving them the chance to apply newly learned best practices in a real-world context.
“This new living classroom is a testament to the leadership of Six Nations Polytechnic, which enables Indigenous Peoples to design, provide and receive care for their communities. The centre also honours St. Joe’s commitment to Indigenous reconciliation,” said Dr. Mike Heenan, president and CEO of St. Joseph’s Health System.
By introducing learners to Elders, families, instructors and frontline healthcare teams during their training, this approach strengthens workforce readiness and prepares graduates through experiential learning.
The living classroom was funded by the Government of Ontario and led by the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging, in partnership with the Ontario Association of Adult and Continuing Education School Board Administrators.
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About Six Nations Polytechnic
Six Nations Polytechnic (SNP) is a unique post-secondary organization, recognized by community, government and institutions of higher learning, as a Centre of Excellence for Indigenous knowledge. SNP has over 30 years of postsecondary success in partnership with twenty percent of Ontario’s publicly funded universities and colleges. SNP’s mandate of Indigenous sustainability calls for the perpetual use of Indigenous knowledge (understood and expressed through language, values and actions) that provides capacity to live in harmony with the natural world, while restoring and maintaining a healthy existence in a nation with diverse citizenship and needs.
About St. Joseph’s Lifecare Centre
St. Joseph’s Lifecare Centre is the largest long-term care facility in Brantford and Brant County, have served the Brantford community for over 70 years. With more than 205 long term care beds and ten hospice beds, its team of more than 400 healthcare workers and physicians create a space providing multi-generational care, hope and education. Its unique approach to healthcare combines long-term care with Brant County’s first hospice, Stedman Community Hospice, offering a community-centred space assisting with the activities of daily living.
We are a proud member of the St. Joseph Health System, one of Canada’s largest and most comprehensive healthcare systems. Guided by a mission of Unstoppable Compassion, the St. Joseph’s Health System provides trust-driven and forward-thinking care tailored to the communities we care for.
Media contact
Lauren Stasila, director, communications, content and digital strategy
Email: lstasila@stjoes.ca | Phone: 905-975-2944
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