Panel Makes Recommendations for Niagara Health After Death of Indigenous Patient

Panel suggests Niagara Health take action to further connect with Indigenous communities

Niagara Health says it will follow the recommendations made by a third party investigating the circumstances around the death of an Indigenous woman. 

In December 2021, 24 year old Heather Winterstein went to the St. Catharines site for severe backpain. 

Her family says she was sent home with Tylenol, but returned the next day. 

She later died in hospital, after collapsing in the waiting room. 

A third party panel was created to review the circumstances leading to her death. 

According to the report, the panel found Indigenous community members felt hesitant to seek hospital services for fear of being labelled or not believed. 

The panel has made several recommendations to Niagara Health, including working with Indigenous communities to recruit Indigenous employees and physicians and promoting the Indigenous Patient Navigator Team. 

It also suggests Niagara Health create a separate Indigenous space for reflection and family gathering and support the end-of life ceremony. 

In response, Niagara Health President and CEO Lynn Guerriero issued the following statement: 

"Following the tragic death of Heather Winterstein at our St. Catharines Emergency Department (ED), an independent Emergency Department Assessment Panel was convened to understand the circumstances surrounding her death, and the experiences of Indigenous Peoples when they visit our emergency departments.

Today, the Panel released its report. We thank members of the Indigenous community who courageously shared their ED experiences with the Panel, as well as the staff and physicians who took part in the review in an effort to assist us on the path to meaningful change. Niagara Health is grateful for the Panel’s work and accepts all of the recommendations. These recommendations will be critical in furthering our ongoing work to advance reconciliation in healthcare in Niagara Region.

As an organization, Niagara Health has a deep commitment to promote a culturally safe environment to better support Indigenous patients and their families. This includes the creation of the Indigenous Health Services and Reconciliation team, whose mandate is to implement practices and services that are not only culturally safe, but also deliver the highest quality of care for Indigenous patients.

The death of Heather in our care was an absolute tragedy that is at odds with our high standards of care at Niagara Health.

As CEO, I am personally committed to ensuring every person who visits us - regardless of age, race, or background - receives the compassionate, high-quality care that our patients expect and deserve.

While we continue to mourn the tragic death of Heather, her legacy will live on for decades to come."