Listening, Learning, and Building Connections in Sioux Lookout

By Fabiana Bacchini, Executive Director, CPBF 

It was an honour to spend a week with the incredible team at the Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority (SLFNHA). My time there was filled with listening, learning, sharing stories, and exchanging knowledge about how we can better support families of preterm babies across Northern Ontario—an important step on our path of reconciliation.

I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to be there in person, to see, hear, and better understand the realities that families face when accessing care.

During my visit, I met with local healthcare providers and visited the hospital to learn more about the journey families take—from both road-accessible and fly-in communities—to receive medical care. For many expectant parents, the path to care involves being sent to larger cities, far from their homes, families, and support systems. The challenges they face during these transitions are immense.

Together, we explored how CPBF can partner with local organizations to provide meaningful resources and support for parents—both during their hospital stay and after they return home. Our shared goal is to understand what these families truly need and how we can stand beside them on their journey.

This trip was a powerful reminder that serving families across Canada means going where we are needed most—listening deeply, learning humbly, and acting collaboratively. It also reinforced the importance of building relationships grounded in respect, reciprocity, and understanding as part of our ongoing commitment to reconciliation.

I left Sioux Lookout inspired by the dedication and compassion of the SLFNHA team, and more committed than ever to fostering long-term partnerships rooted in trust and continuous learning.

We still have much to learn, but this is only the beginning. Together, we can ensure that every family—no matter where they live—has access to the care and support they deserve. 

During the last week of May, Fabiana Bacchini had the honor of visiting with the team at Sioux Lookout First Nations Health Authority (SLFNHA). It was an amazing week filled with listening, learning, sharing stories, and exchanging stores and exchanging resources. We were grateful to have visited communities and the local hospital so that we can better understand the journey families take, from road accessible and fly-in-communities to accessing healthcare.  We are more knowledgeable about the gaps in the system for families in Northern Ontario – especially those dealing with a high-risk pregnancies and preterm births. With many of these women having to go to major centers such as Mount Sinai, Sunny Brook and Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. They are separated by a great distance from their families and communities. We need to find better support for these families, while they and their babies stay in the NICU, when they are transferred back closer to Northern Ontario (with many still being far from home) and also when they go home from the hospital.