Noojmawing Sookatagaing

Phonetic: Noo-ja-ma-wing Soo-ka-tay-ga-ing

Noojmawing Sookatagaing is one of Ontario’s 58 Ontario Health Teams (OHTs). OHTs are a new way to organize and deliver health services, bringing together multiple health care providers as one collaborative team to provide patients with better connected and more convenient care, closer to home.  

We reside on the lands of the Anishinaabek peoples, now known as the District and City of Thunder Bay. Our catchment area spans the Robinson-Superior Treaty of 1850, Treaty 9, Treaty 3, and unceded territory.  

We were officially announced in October 2022 and formally gifted our name through a traditional ceremony on May 24, 2023: Noojmawing Sookatagaing Ontario Health Team.

Noojmawing Sookatagaing brings together the prominent Indigenous languages of our region—Anishinaabemowin and Anishininimowin—and reflects our shared vision of Healing, Working Together.

OUR MISSION

Honouring the land and ways of the Anishinaabek, this OHT brings together partners to create equitable, connected, wholistic, community-centred care across the District and City of Thunder Bay.

OUR VALUES

The Noojmawing Sookatagaing OHT is guided by the principles of reconciliation, cultural safety, equity and the inherent rights of Indigenous Peoples to self-determination, as outlined in frameworks such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action. It emphasizes the importance of incorporating Indigenous knowledge systems, traditions, and values into Health care practices and ensuring that services are accessible, culturally appropriate and responsive to the needs of Indigenous Individuals, families and communities.

OHT members commit to fostering respectful collaboration, transparency, and accountability, ensuring that Indigenous Partners are full and equal participants in the co-creation of health care solutions. Together this partnership strives to address health disparities, enhance community well-being, and build a health care system that reflects and respects the diversity, resilience, and wisdom of Indigenous Peoples.

In consideration for the territory on which we are privileged to live and work, we have adopted the seven traditional values of the Anishinaabek peoples, which are sometimes referred to as the seven grandfather teachings.

  • Teaching: ‘Deb’: The heart; ‘We’: Sound through speech; 'Win’: Nominalizer, a way it is done. Truth is the way it is in your heart.

    OHT Value Statement: We value Truth which results in authenticity, transparency, and principled decision-making, always speaking authentically and ensuring our actions align with our vision, mission, and values.

  • Teaching: ‘Dabas’: Low, Lower; ‘End’: pertaining to thought; ‘Izi’: state or condition; ‘Win’: Nominalizer, a way it is done. To think lower of oneself (in relation to all that sustains us. Humility is to know yourself as a sacred part of Creation. In the Anishinaabe language, this word can also mean “compassion”. You are equal to others, but you are not better.

    OHT Value Statement: We value Humility which results in diversity, equity and inclusion. When we acknowledge that our understanding is limited by our experiences, we commit to continuous learning from all voices and perspectives, including the natural world that sustains us. When we acknowledge the interconnectedness of all things, we prioritize the collective over the self.

  • Teaching: ‘Manaaji’: To Go Easy on Someone; ‘Idi’: In a reciprocal way; ‘Win’: Nominalizer, a way it is done. “To go easy on one another”, meaning all of Creation.

    OHT Value Statement: We value Respect which results in the creation of space for disenfranchised voices, considering all viewpoints equally, fostering a non-judgmental environment, and recognizing that we are all at different places in our journeys.

  • Teaching: ‘Zaag’: To emerge naked, to come out, to flow out; ‘Idi’: In a reciprocal way; ‘Win’: Nominalizer, a way it is done. “Unconditional love between one another”, meaning all of creation, including humans and non-humans, seen and unseen, of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. To know love is to know peace. Love must be unconditional. When people are weak, they need love the most. In the Anishinaabe language, this word with the reciprocal theme ‘Idi’ indicates that this form of love is mutual.

    OHT Value Statement: We value Love which means we centre people in our work through compassionate and trauma-informed approaches. As a collective we are responsible for making sure that everyone, regardless of their state, has access to appropriate services.

  • Teaching: ‘Waa’: Pertaining to sight; ‘Kaa’: An abundance; ‘Win’: Nominalizer, a way it is done. “To live with vision”. To cherish knowledge is to know Wisdom. Wisdom is given by the Creator to be used for the good of the people. In the Anishinaabe language, this word expresses not only “wisdom”, but also means “prudence” or “intelligence”.

    OHT Value Statement: We value Wisdom which results in projecting the consequences of our decisions on those seven generations from now. We commit to valuing the knowledge and experience of our partners and those we serve, continually asking who is not at the table and who is/will be impacted, while respecting and preserving the knowledge we are gifted.

  • Teaching: ‘Gwayak’: Correctly, straightly, and rightly. ‘Aadizi’: He/She lives; ‘Win’: Nominalizer, a way it is done. “To live correctly and with virtue”.

    OHT Value Statement: We value Honesty which results in integrity, vulnerability and self-reflection. We ensure transparency with each other and those we serve, actively listening, and respecting autonomy.

  • Teaching: ‘Zoongi’: Solid, strong, unchanging; ‘De’e’: A form of “heart”; ‘Win’: Nominalizer, a way it is done. “To live with a strong, solid heart”, regardless of fear, circumstances or consequences.

    OHT Value Statement:  We value Bravery which results in advocacy for our local community despite outside pressures, doing the right thing even if it delays the process and even when it isn’t easy. We hold each other accountable and hold space for challenging discussions. We support and protect each other, ensuring everyone’s voice is safely heard.

OUR OHT’S PRIORITIES

Strengthening Primary Care

  • Primary care is central to wellness across Noojmawing Sookatagaing. Through ongoing engagement with patients, families, caregivers, PFAC members, Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and community leaders, we will co-design improvements that ensure timely, culturally safe care close to home.

  • We will enhance access to family physicians, nurse practitioners, traditional healers, and interprofessional teams, and integrate mental health supports and community-identified healing practices. Co-designed digital and virtual tools will improve continuity and navigation, while respecting Indigenous Data Sovereignty in how information is collected, used, and shared.

Desired Outcome: A more accessible, culturally grounded primary care system shaped by community voice.

Advancing Integrated Health Priorities

  • Integration will be built through shared planning among Patient Family Advisory Council (PFAC) members, Indigenous partners, and community organizations. Together, we will create coordinated pathways that connect primary care, hospitals, mental health supports, community programs, and Indigenous health services.

  • Cultural safety, trauma-informed approaches, and traditional knowledge will guide this work. Digital tools that strengthen information flow will be developed and used in ways that honour Indigenous Data Sovereignty and community control of information.

Desired Outcome: A connected circle of care where people experience smoother transitions and consistent support across services.

Building Strong OHT Foundations

  • Strong foundations rely on shared governance, trusted relationships, and meaningful engagement that centres community voice, PFAC leadership, and Indigenous participation in planning and decision-making.

  • We will enhance secure digital infrastructure, virtual care, and data systems that support quality improvement while respecting Indigenous Data Sovereignty. Capacity-building in cultural safety, engagement, and collaborative practice will equip partners to participate fully in co-design and continuous improvement.

Desired Outcome: A resilient, transparent OHT grounded in trust, community leadership, and shared stewardship.

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