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One of Ontario’s first Indigenous living classrooms for patient care has opened at a long-term care centre in Brantford through a partnership between St. Joseph’s Health System and Six Nations Polytechnic.
The classroom is designed to give students hands-on experience providing culturally safe, person-centred care. Curriculum is grounded in Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe teachings and emphasizes humility, transparency and understanding of the histories that shape the people being cared for.
Dr. Rick Anderson, interim president and CEO of Six Nations Polytechnic, said Indigenous ways of knowing and being inform the institute’s approach to education. He praised St. Joseph’s for creating an environment where learners can experience those values through relationships with residents, health-care professionals and the broader care team.
Officials say the living classroom model moves training beyond theory. Students work alongside residents and staff while learning how culture, language and community history affect health outcomes and trust in care settings. The goal is to prepare a workforce better equipped to support Indigenous patients and families in both on-reserve and urban settings.
The opening comes as long-term care systems across Ontario face pressure to improve cultural safety after years of documented gaps in care for Indigenous elders. Many residents from Six Nations and surrounding First Nations have spent time in facilities far from home, language and family.
St. Joseph’s Health System operates multiple long-term care homes in the region. The new classroom is located at one of its Brantford sites and is intended to serve students from Six Nations Polytechnic’s health-related programs as well as other learners.
Community members have long called for training that treats Indigenous knowledge as essential rather than optional. The partnership is being presented as a practical step toward that standard.
Local leaders note that culturally informed care can reduce isolation for elders, improve communication with families and help staff recognize the impacts of residential schools, child welfare removals and systemic barriers. The classroom is expected to produce graduates who carry those skills into hospitals, home care and other long-term care settings.
Six Nations Polytechnic has expanded its health and community services programming in recent years. Officials say the living classroom strengthens the connection between classroom learning and real-world practice on territory and in neighbouring cities.
Originally published in the Two Row Times, September 16, 2026 (Volume 14, Issue 5), page 8.
