Weeneebayko Area Health Authority (WAHA) and Queen’s University

The EleV Programs has partnered with the Weeneebayko Area Health Authority (WAHA) and Queen’s University. Through the Queen’s Weeneebayko Health Education Program, the partnership will transform healthcare in Northeastern Ontario and expand education and employment opportunities for Indigenous youth.

WAHA and Queen’s Health Sciences will co-develop a university curriculum for health professions training in the western James Bay region. The program will prepare Indigenous students for careers in medicine, nursing, midwifery, and other health professions through culturally-informed education in community. Programming and resources will also be created to enable local youth to envision, pursue, and succeed in health professions training right from high school.

Through this partnership:

• Healthcare in Northeastern Ontario, and beyond, will be transformed by integrating Indigenous knowledge, practices and approaches to health and healing.
• All youth in the region will benefit from accessing culturally relevant and contextual information and mentoring regarding health careers and new opportunities to transition starting in the final year of elementary education.
• Secondary student pathways will actively engage youth in programming leading to transition opportunities, mentorship and related internships.

Starting in 2025, students will transition to in-community learning and form the first cohort for the new health programming