Group Health Centre joins Maamwesying Ontario Health Team to support Indigenous Relatives (clients) in Sault Ste. Marie and area
August 10, 2026
SAULT STE. MARIE, ON – The Maamwesying Ontario Health Team welcomes Group Health Centre as a new Collaborative Partner in strengthening healthcare for Indigenous Relatives (clients) in the Sault Ste. Marie area.
The occasion was marked with a formal Signing Ceremony that included an Indigenous Blanket Exercise, where participants explored the historical and ongoing impacts of colonization on the health and wellbeing of the Indigenous people in our community.
Both parties then signed a Collaborative Agreement, outlining a shared vision to strengthen healthcare for Indigenous Relatives (clients). The agreement was signed by Carol Eshkakogan, CEO of Maamwesying North Shore Community Health Services, and Liliana Silvano, CEO of Group Health Centre (GHC).
Supporting Indigenous Care through the Collaborative Agreement
The collaborative agreement seeks to strengthen culturally safer, accessible, and coordinated primary care services to support the health and wellness of Indigenous people living in Sault Ste. Marie and the Algoma region. It focuses on primary care access, attachment, navigation, care coordination, and health outcomes through shared planning, communication and service improvement initiatives by:
- Promoting access to culturally safe, equitable primary care services.
- Strengthening Indigenous primary care pathways, navigation and attachment.
- Improving care coordination and continuity of care for shared patients.
- Supporting Indigenous-led planning, service design and quality improvement.
- Identifying service gaps and advancing joint initiatives to improve health outcomes.
Embedding Indigenous Teachings and Wisdom into Healthcare
Maamwesying Ontario Health Team Collaborative Partners acknowledge and commit to the values identified by the Maamwesying Relative and Family Advisory Council (RFAC). These values guide the planning, design, delivery, evaluation, and continuous improvement of collaborative primary care services.
Embedded within the Declaration of Values are several Indigenous Teachings that ground us and guide us in this work. They are the Turtle, Medicine Wheel, Grandfather and Grandmother Teachings, the Sacred Fire, the 13 Moons of Creation, and Two-Spirit Teachings. A detailed description of these teachings is found on the Maamwesying Ontario Health Team’s Relative and Family Advisory Council page.
First Nation Core Partner Communities Served:
The Maamwesying Ontario Health Team Partners provide Health Services to the following communities: Atikameksheng Anishnawbek, Sagamok Anishnawbek, Serpent River First Nation, Mississauga First Nation, Thessalon First Nation, Garden River First Nation and Batchewana First Nation, Michipicoten First Nation, Chapleau Cree First Nation, Chapleau Ojibwe First Nation and Brunswick House First Nation, and to the Urban Indigenous Population in Sault Ste Marie through the Indigenous Friendship Centre and the Baawaating Family Health Team.
About Maamwesying Ontario Health Team
As the only Indigenous-led Ontario Health Team, Maamwesying Ontario Health Team provides coordinated services for Indigenous people living within the First Nation communities listed above (see First Nation Core Partner Communities Served).
Maamwesying Ontario Health Team website
About Group Health Centre
Group Health Centre provides outpatient primary care, speciality care, diagnostic imaging, and other community-based health services to the residents of Sault Ste. Marie and the Algoma District.
Statement by Liliana Silvano, CEO of Group Health Centre:
“At Group Health Centre, we know that improving care for our Indigenous relatives requires us to listen, learn, and work alongside Indigenous partners. Maamwesying brings invaluable knowledge, leadership, and trusted relationships with the communities it serves. By working together, we can better connect services, strengthen care transitions, and build a healthcare experience that reflects the needs, priorities, and strengths of Indigenous people and communities. This partnership reflects our shared commitment to providing culturally safe, coordinated, and accessible care.”
About Maamwesying North Shore Community Health Services
As a signatory to this agreement, Maamwesying North Shore Community Health Services is the Transfer Payment Agreement (TPA) fund holder for the Maamwesying Ontario Health Team.
Maamwesying North Shore Community Health Services provides services including Primary Care, Home and Community Care, Mental Health and Addictions Care and Traditional Healing for members of the communities listed above (see First Nation Core Partner Communities Served).
Statement by Carol Eshkakogan, CEO of Maamwesying North Shore Community Health Services, and TPA fund holder for Maamwesying Ontario Health Team:
“Our clients and relatives receive care from many organizations throughout their lives. They may access primary care through one provider, specialized services through another, and community support services somewhere else. At Maamwesying North Shore Community Health Services, we are continuously working hard to connect those services and reduce the gaps between them. From the perspective of the people receiving care, these are not separate systems, they are all part of the same journey to wellness.
Organizational boundaries should never become barriers to care.
That is why this partnership matters. It reflects a shared commitment to strengthening how we work together so Indigenous people experience care that is connected, culturally grounded and easier to navigate.”
Maamwesying North Shore Community Health Services website
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