You will notice a tipi on the west side of the North Bay Regional Health Centre.

Former Police Officer George Couchie says a hospital is a great place for healing both physically and spiritually.

He says having a Tipi on hand for patients and their families can be very therapeutic.

“We learn from other people’s tragedies. Everybody has a story and sometimes we don’t get to tell our story until we’re out there and feel comfortable so we can sit down and talk about our own stories and journeys,” he says.

Hospital CEO Paul Heinrich says they cater to the indigenous community and this makes a lot of sense from a cultural and medical perspective.

“We need to make the right spaces available for our patients so they can receive contemporary western medicine but at the same time have access to spiritual healing,” Heinrich says.

A ceremony to mark the opening of the TIPI was held on Tuesday.

Heinrich says they’ve received several donations from the community to make this possible.

(photo by station staff)

Filed under: North Bay Regional Health Centre, tipi