Dalla Lana School of Public Health

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with Dr. Holly Graham PhD, R.D. Psychologist, RN, BA, BScN, MN, Associate Professor Psychiatry, University of Saskatchewan.

Abstract:
With the growing public awareness of Indigenous-specific racism and with the highly public deaths of Brian Sinclair and more recently the death of Joyce Echaquan in Canada, there has been an outcry to end racism in health care. While Canadian nursing curriculum is being adapted to include anti-racist education for future nursing students, there remains a gap in this knowledge for practicing nurses. As part of creating and supporting a speak-up culture to address unsafe care related to racism in health care, I offer the following guide – CPR RACISM.

Health care providers are all familiar with CPR, or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, that can help save a life during cardiac arrest, when the heart stops beating or is unable to effectively circulate blood to the brain and other vital organs. CPR instructors advocate for everyone to be prepared for moments that matter by taking a CPR class to help save a life. Similarly, there needs to be a plan to save lives lost related to racism. This guide was created in response to the common questions I have heard from nursing students and colleagues: Where do I begin? How can I address racism in healthcare? How do I teach my nursing students to effectively intervene when they witness racism? To address this gap in knowledge, I suggest CPR RACISM as a safe, non-threatening approach to assist with a timely intervention when witnessing racism in health care.

Bio:
Dr. Holly Graham is a member of the Thunderchild First Nation, SK. She has worked as a Registered Nurse (RN) in northern communities and various other health care environments since 1985. Currently, Holly is an Associate Professor in the College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry at the University of Saskatchewan. She also maintains an active practice as a Registered Doctoral Psychologist, working primarily with individuals who have experienced trauma and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Holly’s research is strength-based with a focus on Indigenous health, mental health, and wellness. She currently holds an Indigenous Research Chair in Nursing awarded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF), and the Canadian Nurses Foundation (CNF). Dr. Graham’s Research Chair, entitled wahkohtowin (We are all Related and Interconnected), will support and mentor undergraduate and graduate nursing students to engage in advancing reconciliation within nursing practice, research, education, and administration.