b'HEALTHLafontaine says his proudest accomplishments centreI think the future of health care, and where change is really around raising the voices of communities, such as the workgoing to occur, is [in the] overlap between people who have he did with the Indigenous Health Alliance. lived experience and the people who can actually do the work to change, Lafontaine says. The truth is, we have to I find a lot of the most meaningful parts of my work comework together if we are going to save health-care systems.with helping people find different ways of explaining things that they really understand, Lafontaine says, noting thatLafontaine says the COVID-19 pandemic was brutal. I people often struggle to describe something that willremember when the pandemic first came in 2020we connect with others who have very different life experi- didnt know what was going on, we didnt know how much ences. How can you help the government bureaucratat risk we were because it was a brand-new virus that understand it at the same time as the government politi- hadnt spread the way it had before, Lafontaine says. I cian whos the minister, or another person who helps youremember going to work very worried about my own safety, advocate along with doctors and nurses? The opportunitythe safety of my colleagues, but I was more worried than Ive had to help shape those stories and explain things inanything about bringing something home to my family.different ways that help people find new opportunities to connect with each other has really been the most mean- Lafontaine says the frontline health-care providers felt an ingful part of what Ive done. enormous obligation to serve people who were ill during the pandemic. It is important to remember those feelings, Lafontaine says his goals for the future centre aroundbecause at the time it was really scary, but it was also a making sure there is a balance between lived experi- time when everyone kind of got together. We were going ence and people who can do what needs to be done tothrough something together, and it brought providers and I changethings. think patients closer for a short period of time.We are an Indigenous owned & operated company that provides cultural-based education & counseling, anti-racism training, decolonizing learning circles/workshops centered around truth & reconciliation.All of our services are Indigenous led. Our goal is to foster healthy, respectful, thriving relationships with and between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. We believe in creating and fostering collaborations that begin with education and communication that is mutually respectful.To learn more, visit www.santeleshealingcircles.comONTARIO OFFICE:5 Fallsview Road,Dundas, ONL9H 5J7NOVA SCOTIA OFFICE:8636 Hwy#8,LeQuille, NSB0S 1A01-866-420-5672santelesHC@gmail.com 14 INDIGENOUS INNOVATORS, ICONS & INFLUENCERS |ISSUE 1, 2023'