Shared Health Releases Race, Ethnicity, and Indigenous Identity Data
Press Release
June 17, 2025
Steps Being Taken to Advance Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action for Healthcare
New data shows wait times and highlights the experiences of Black, Indigenous and racially marginalized patients and staff in emergency departments, according to preliminary findings from race, ethnicity and Indigenous identity (REI) data collected by Shared Health in collaboration with the University of Manitoba’s Ongomiizin Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing, as well as the George & Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation (CHI).
Manitoba is the first province in Canada to collect voluntary race-based data from patients when they register for care, as part of system-wide efforts to measure gaps that exist in access, experience, or outcomes and inform actions and interventions to reduce racism and ensure equity of care. The initiative is a response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #19, which calls on government to identify and close the gaps in health care outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.
“Our initial analysis shows that racism can be a factor affecting wait times and care provided in Manitoba’s emergency departments,” said Dr. Marcia Anderson, Project Lead on behalf of Shared Health and Vice-Dean of Indigenous Health, Social Justice and Anti-Racism at University of Manitoba. “While this might come as no surprise, the collection of this data is critical for accurately measuring and demonstrating specific health disparities. The collection, analysis, and actions we take as a result are vital in our efforts to eliminate racism and discrimination of any kind, and improve our health system for all.”
The REI data findings show that North American Indigenous and African and/or Black patients are waiting the longest to be seen, and Indigenous patients present to emergency departments with similar triage scores to white patients. This pattern is similar to findings in other published literature, Dr. Anderson noted. A local study has also shown that 86 per cent of Black, Indigenous and racially marginalized health care staff experience racism and 63 per cent of white health care staff experience discrimination.
“Unfortunately, in a system under stress it is often those who are the most marginalized and have the fewest resources who are impacted the most,” said Dr. Anderson. “It is not only patients, but also emergency department staff who can experience discrimination, which only exacerbates these stressors. Yet they show up, day after day, with the aim of providing quality care to each and every person who comes to the emergency room. It’s very important for us all to view this data as an opportunity to learn and grow together to improve the experience of patients and healthcare team members alike.”
A steering committee is supporting local leadership and the Lower Wait Time and System Improvement Team to design steps the system can take to eliminate racism.
First, emergency department staff are being prioritized to participate in the “We Will Take Good Care of The People” Indigenous Cultural Safety and Anti-Racism training, an educational tool developed by Ongomiizwin. Health system leaders have already taken this training, which will eventually be rolled out to other patient-facing areas across the health system. Available training also includes The Black Health Primer, a series of online modules developed by the Black Health Education Collaborative to empower learners with tools and resources to address anti-Black racism in the Canadian healthcare system. Other antiracism education will be developed and introduced over time.
“Manitoba is a leader in collecting and analyzing race-based data to ensure equitable healthcare access across the province,” said Minister Uzoma Asagwara, Minister of Health, Seniors and Long-Term Care. “The findings of this data are, unfortunately, not unique to Manitoba. The systemic failure to provide adequate care to an increasingly racially diverse population is a national issue, but our government is committed to addressing these gaps within our system. We are already taking steps to reduce these barriers to care through training, policy changes, and leadership teams committed to confronting these problems. We know that this takes time and that healthcare workers are also committed to being part of the solution.”
Beyond training, Shared Health will seek to identify evidence-based and community-informed interventions that focus on enhancing safety and eliminate racism in emergency department waiting rooms and care settings. This work will be integrated with the Wait Times Improvement Team, which has already started to identify opportunities to flag systemic racism in care settings and change processes to improve outcomes for racialized patients.
“Systemic racism and discrimination in healthcare is not isolated to emergency departments, so we will continue to refine and analyse the REI data to understand it further and see where systemic biases may be entering care pathways,” said Dr. Anderson. “This will inform ongoing health care planning and activities in the province, and further bolster efforts related to the health system’s Disrupting Racism initiative.”
REI Data Initiative Background
Planning for the REI data initiative has been underway for several years and has included a detailed literature review, and engagement with researchers, clinicians, and organizations representing racially marginalized and Indigenous communities, the Canadian Institute for Health Information, health information managers, Francophone stakeholders and the Provincial Government.
Dr. Marcia Anderson is leading this work and is supported by the George and Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation on behalf of Shared Health.
This important initiative aligns with provincial efforts related to Health Equity, the Provincial Quality and Learning Framework, and the health system’s Disrupting Racism initiative, and is vital to ensuring we are able to deliver equitable, high-quality health care in all settings and to all communities.
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