b'MENTAL HEALTHThe opening of the Ceremony Ground at CAMH in Toronto A garden project created on the CAMH Ceremony Groundas part of the hospitals Shkaabe Makwa initiativeIn a helpful development, in 2020 CAMH, Ontarios largest mentalShkaabe Makwa translates to Spirit Bear Helper. How the name health hospital, launched Shkaabe Makwa, an initiative that plays acame to be, and Linklaters role in it, speaks to the importance of the key role in connecting First Nations, Inuit and Mtis communitiesspiritual basis of this program. When the name came to her about and service providers across Ontario. We have opened up a space infour years ago, Linklater brought it to her team at CAMH. They the hospital system where were able to step forward as Indigenoussat together in ceremony for hours, passing the pipe around and leaders to articulate these really important healing processespraying for the name, which emerged spiritually. To connect with for Indigenous peoples, explains Linklater. This is actuallythe spirit, Linklater often puts bear grease on the back of her neck, outside of reconciliation. This is about good care; its about beingheart or forehead when she gets ready for work in the morning. patient centred.By the time people come to CAMH, they are in complex states that other community agencies are unable to handle. For Linklater, this is where the opportunity lies. We can bring them around the fire and give them some spiritual support to start feeling safe, she notes. We can use our ceremony grounds and medicines, for those who want it. Its not about prescribing culture. What it is about is having options and opportunities to heal within our system.THE SPIRITUAL PERSPECTIVE Shkaabe Makwa is by no means the first Indigenous healing initiative that CAMH has taken on. Their Aboriginal Services programs started over 20 years ago, and in 2016, they opened their ceremony grounds. Linklater, who has been with CAMH for 11 years, remembers the ceremonial and spiritual work involved in the opening. We did lots of prayers and ceremonies specifically to ask for permission from the Creator and from our helping spirits and ancestors to guide us in the work that needed to take place on this land, recalls Linklater. Due to the history of the CAMH grounds, the site also required some serious spiritual cleansing. For over a century, this site has housed a mental health hospital, starting with the Provincial Lunatic Asylum built in 1850. There were a lot of wounded souls still lingering around our hospital grounds, Linklater explains. WePartners in providing Indigenousneeded to do ceremony to help them move on, [and] also createHealth Care across Keewaytinooksacred grounds for our patients to be able to heal on.Learn more: SLFNHA.comThe ceremony grounds have received an incredible reception from patients, physicians, staff and executive leadership teams alike. AsNow Hiring in Thunder a hospital, its helped us understand the important elements of trad- Bay & Sioux Lookoutitional healing, and what its place is within the mainstream system, Linklater says.Ontario Native Womens Association45'