CBHSSJB Announces Launch of Eeyou Istchee Pimâtîsuwin Chiskutimâchuwin Midwifery Training Program

August 6, 2024

The Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay (CBHSSJB) is proud to announce the official launch of the Eeyou Istchee Pimâtîsuwin Chiskutimâchuwin (EIPC) midwifery training program. This groundbreaking initiative, which began on July 8, 2024 with land-based teachings on Fort George, marks a significant step forward in providing culturally rooted, high-quality midwifery care within Cree communities.

The Pimâtîsuwin Chiskutimâchuwin program represents a collaboration between the CBHSSJB and the Ordre des Sages-Femmes du Québec (OSFQ). This partnership aims to train future Cree midwives who will serve their communities with a combination of practical experience and formal licensing. Trainees will work alongside experienced midwives and are expected to complete a minimum of sixty (60) births to qualify as licensed professionals.

“Since time immemorial, Cree women have given birth on the Land,” said Bertie Wapachee, Chairperson of the CBHSSJB. “For decades, many Cree women have expressed a desire to reclaim this traditional practice. This program enables our new trainees to follow in the footsteps of their grandmothers and ancestors.”

Jasmine Chatelain, Eeyou Istchee Pimâtîsuwin Chiskutimâchuwin (EIPC) Planning, Programming and Research Officer (PPRO), emphasized the vital role of Indigenous midwives: “Indigenous midwives are leaders in reproductive justice for our communities. They provide essential, culturally rooted care and serve as keepers of ceremonies and mentors, passing on critical values about health to future generations.”

In alignment with the CBHSSJB Strategic Regional Plan, the trainees in this program receive their primary on-the-job training by working in Midwifery Services (MWS), which provides the comprehensive care perinatal care, including birth on territory.. The MWS aims to ensure clinically and culturally safe births, with a recent highlight being the achievement of the first birth in a mitchuaap over 50 years in Chisasibi in September 2022.