A nonprofit organization founded in Edmonton aims to provide “familiar faces” to residents of NWT on medical trips when they are cared for in the city.
The organization, Goba care, was created by Melinda Laboucan. She told Cabin Radio that she wanted to provide “culturally safe navigation and healthcare support” to northern patients and their families.
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Laboucan comes from Fort Good Hope and belongs to the K’ahsho Got’ine First Nation. She said the idea for Goba Care came from personal experience.
In 2011 she lost her mother to cancer and her sister to pneumonia less than two years later. She had served as primary nurse for both of them, accompanying them on medical trips through the Territory and Alberta, and then providing palliative care at home.
“I’ve seen, I’ve felt, and I’ve gone through all the gaps we all fall through,” said Laboucan.
Helping her mother and sister while they were traveling for treatment was a difficult experience, she said, describing little support for family members and companions in Edmonton. She spent so much time at home taking care of her that she felt unable to properly mourn her loss.
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“It was just so devastating,” she said.
“I was always very passionate about what support we needed back then and how I can help other people. If someone has been through what we have been through as a family, I want to be able to help. “
Laboucan said she began working at Fort Good Hope helping residents with cancer, organizing circles for patients and survivors, raising funds to cover medical expenses, and bringing people to the countryside to spiritualize and to heal spiritually.
After moving to Edmonton with her family in 2018, Laboucan’s new company will continue this work. The services will be free, she said, with Goba Care funded by donations and support from the NWT research support group Hotıì ts’eeda.
The word “goba” in the language of the K’ahsho Got’ine means light on the horizon. Laboucan said she sees her nonprofit as “a light that helps guide you through new places, services and cultural differences”.
She will keep appointments with patients, serve as a contact point for city travelers, network people with health services and support families personally and virtually with illness and terminal care.
“As soon as the Covid restrictions are lifted, I can be right next to them,” Laboucan said of her customers. “If someone comes here for cancer treatment, cancer diagnosis or results, or any other medical care they need, I will be here.
“It’s not just for the patient, but also for medical support. And that doesn’t just focus on cancer, but on every other patient who comes here, from diagnostics to surgery. “
“Extremely stressful”
Florence Burnaby is an elder of Fort Good Hope. She has experience with lymphoma – cancer of the lymph nodes – and was assisted by Laboucan, who visited her and kept her company.
Burnaby said the exchange circles were the most helpful.
“You don’t feel alone,” she said. “There are other people out there going through what I’m going through. I couldn’t wait for her. “
Laboucan hopes to eventually host online sharing circles through Goba Care. She plans to develop resources in indigenous languages and is putting together free care kits with traditional Dene medicines.
“Research has shown that medical travel is an extremely stressful process,” said Laboucan. “Despite constant efforts to improve the experience, people still feel unprepared and overwhelmed.
“But when you come here, you see a familiar face – that’s me – and you immediately feel … OK to be in the big city. They have someone from the north who understands and who has a lot of support here in Edmonton, so much of that stress is relieved. It leads to good health results. “
The NWT Health and Welfare Authority Annual report states that 15,141 patients traveled for medical purposes in fiscal year 2019-20, both within NWT and to Alberta.
Dr. Sarah Cook has been a practicing physician in the NWT for 13 years. She was formerly the Territory’s Medical Director and also serves as the Clinical Director for Choose Wisely NWT, the local section of a national organization that aims to reduce unnecessary medical tests and treatments.
Over the years, Dr. Cook observes the challenges medical travel can bring.
“Sometimes someone may need an interpreter who may not be available,” she said.
“Sometimes it’s just the challenge of going to a completely new place without necessarily being very comfortable navigating that place and figuring out how to get to your appointment.”
Health authority welcomes innovation
David Maguire, a spokesman for the Territory’s agency, told Cabin Radio in an email that the agency recognizes that “there is room in the health and social services sectors for innovation by private companies and the nonprofit”.
However, Maguire said that does not necessarily indicate a void in the NWT’s health care system.
“We work very hard to layer our support for patients throughout their care journey,” wrote Maguire, “but we also know that people may want a more personalized support experience than our programs can provide.
“There are external services that add value to the health and social services landscape… we welcome innovation and opportunities to understand and recognize the achievements of organizations that create services that may take a different approach than our broad care and service offerings at system level. “
For Cook, the best solution is to bring care closer to home in the NWT communities. It saves costs and enables more holistic treatment.
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However, when home care is not possible and medical travel is required, traveling patients need better support.
“It’s a challenge for anyone who lives in rural Canada,” said Cook. “Having to travel to larger centers, outside of your comfort zone, away from the people who are supporting you, is not only daunting but can even affect your health as it affects your decisions.
“I’ve seen examples of this in my practice. People will have an experience that makes them very, very uncomfortable, and they will choose not to return for necessary aftercare because they either weren’t comfortable or culturally unsafe.
“Melinda, through her own personal experience and very close association with communities in the Northwest Territories, recognized an opportunity to truly enhance the experience of people traveling to Edmonton for care. I think anything we can do to improve this experience will be positive. “
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