Indigenous woman hopes racist comments made at Regina General ER will result in valuable health-care lesson

Janelle Orcherton is sharing the story of racist comments she says were made to her during a recent trip to the Regina General Hospital (RGH) at the end of November. She hopes it will be a valuable lesson for health-care workers in Saskatchewan.

Orcherton took a bad fall and suffered a concussion, sprained ankle and broken shoulder blade. She was flown unconscious to hospital by air ambulance.

It’s what she was told when she woke that startled her the most.

“When I got somebody to come and talk to me, I asked what happened. They said, ‘Oh, we think the cops pulled you over, you were drinking and driving,’ which is really confusing because I’ve never drank and drove before,” Orcherton said.

When the 29-year-old asked another health-care worker what had happened, she was told she was picked up by police for being intoxicated — another startling accusation for her, said Orcherton.

While she is now on the mend, Orcherton is asking health-care workers to be mindful of the words they use, especially with Indigenous people.

“It’s your job to help them in their most crucial moments of their life. People are hurting and struggling. And you don’t know my life. I’ve been in ministry the last 10 years. I have two children. I have never been in trouble with the law,” she said.

Hearing those things were quite jarring since the scenarios described are very uncharacteristic of her, she said.

The accident that put her in hospital occurred when Orcherton and her cousins were travelling from their hometown of Steinbach, Man., to Saskatoon to do some bead work with friends. They stopped near Regina for a few beers, but she says they did have a designated driver.

Orcherton said she hadn’t eaten anything, so she says the alcohol affected her more. Then she took a wrong turn and fell down some stairs, she said, which resulted in her injuries. 911 was called.

“The next thing I know, I woke up in a Regina ER. Apparently, I was airlifted by STARS (Air Ambulance).”

In the hospital, Orcherton says her injuries weren’t communicated to her properly. When her mother called, the healthcare worker speaking to her mom just said Orcherton was intoxicated. But, Orcherton recounts, the nature of her injuries not being well-communicated.

Orcherton left RGH feeling discriminated against and disheartened. She says she was not informed what she had to do once she got home, for example, the need to be on bed-rest for a while due to her severe concussion.

“I’m just feeling overlooked,” she said.

“It’s hard to know there’s a stereotype out there of being the drunk Indian. If people would just listen and hear people’s stories then they would see there’s been generational traumas,” Orcherton said.

“It just seemed like I was a drunk Aboriginal and they wanted me out of the hospital if I wasn’t dead, or I wasn’t dying. When I talked to my cousins, they all said the same thing — that it just seemed like it wasn’t as caring (an experience) as it could have been.”

Orcherton has reached out to the hospital administrator to file a formal complaint. She says the person she spoke with told her this was not the first time they’ve had a complaint of this nature. She was asked if her story could be shared during team huddles.

Global News reached out to the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) for comment. The SHA sent a statement, which reads:

“We apologize that our patient felt her care in the Regina General Hospital Emergency Department was negatively influenced by her Aboriginal heritage and culture. We have extended those apologies to her directly as well, and are following up on her concerns with the care team.

“As the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) has bluntly noted, the health care system as a whole needs to make significant progress to address its actions in past and present related to the treatment of Aboriginal peoples in its care,” the statement continues.

The SHA said it continues to work on its commitment to the Calls to Action outlined by the TRC, and “we know we have much more to do.”

The SHA statement notes ‘Patient Advocates’ are available to assist clients and families with their concerns.  The Patient Advocate in Regina can be reached at 1-866-411-7272.

Orcherton hopes her experience will now have a silver lining.

“You can’t judge people by the colour of their skin, you know, we have to see people as people, regardless of how they enter the hospital in an emergency situation.”