In a step toward strengthening shared understanding of culturally informed care, the Interprofessional Primary Care Team at DET OHT, in collaboration with Wanasah and Regent Park Community Health Centre, organized a training session focused on culturally safe care for Black communities.
The training, held on December 3, 2024, explored the legacy of anti-Black racism, Afrocentric care approaches, Islamophobia, and the intersectional identities that contribute to distinct forms of discrimination and oppression.
For Black and other racialized communities, these intersections often create a complex web of challenges in care delivery and health outcomes. This training provided meaningful perspectives to care providers and partners involved in the IPCT project as they work towards advancing culturally safe care environments and addressing systemic barriers to accessing primary care.
The session was moderated by Rimay Yohannes, a Board Member at Wanasah, and featured a panel of presenters, including:
- Dr. Samra Sahlu, an adult psychiatrist at the Substance Use Program for African Canadian and Caribbean Youth team, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)
- Dr. Zainab Zafar, an educator and a current doctoral student specializing in decolonizing education, Islamophobia, and anti-Black racism within minority communities.
- Donna Alexander, a social worker specializing in mental health and addiction, and a member of the Clinical Equity & Inclusion Council at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto.
The presenters extensively discussed the impacts of racism, as well as gender, sexual, and cultural discrimination on health outcomes. They emphasized the importance of understanding these complex intersections in order to effectively address the systemic barriers facing Black and racialized communities.
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