Minnie’s Hope opens new social pediatric centre in Kuujjuaraapik

Minnie’s Hope, a social pediatric centre based in Kuujjuaraapik/Whapmagoostui, is celebrating its move to a new building and the rollout of a new slate of programs.

A ceremony to mark the occasion was hosted Jan. 21 locally and Tuesday at the Montreal Children’s Hospital.

The move was funded through a $5 million donation in 2020 from BMO Financial Group and the Hewitt Foundation.

Dr. Johanne Morel speaks Tuesday to a crowd at Montreal Children’s Hospital’s P.K. Subban Atrium, announcing the opening of the new Minnie’s Hope centre. (Photo by Cedric Gallant)

“I feel amazed,” Dr. Johanne Morel told Nunatsiaq News in French at the ceremony in Montreal. Morel is a pediatrician who has been working in Eeyou Istchee and Nunavik for nearly 40 years.

“I can’t believe how much can be done when we put the talents of so many people together.”

Montreal’s opening ceremony featured speeches from all parties involved and ended with a seal and caribou skin ribbon cutting.

Juliette Natachequan did the honours for the ribbon cutting. She is sister to Minnie Natachequan, for whom Minnie’s Hope is named. Minnie Natachequan was a 37-year-old childcare worker who was murdered in 2008 alongside her two children.

The centre was established in 2014 to meet the needs of youth in the region. The organization’s new building is twice the size of the original one built nearly a decade ago.

With approximately 16 staff members, the centre now has capacity to help 300 children and teenagers annually, according to a news release by the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation.

The new Minnie’s Hope centre was built near the border between Whapmagoostui and Kuujjuaraapik. (Photo courtesy of the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation)

Minnie’s Hope is set to offer four different types of care for children and teens in Whapmagoostui and Kuujjuaraapik:

• Pediatric medical care, like speech-language therapy, psychology services and occupational therapy;
• Educational and therapeutic programs such as early childhood education, sand play, art and music therapy;
• Community-focused programs including prenatal and postnatal support, moms-and-tots activities, and after-school programs;
• Research and teaching to inspire similar initiatives nationwide.

The building itself has the clinic, an open-design kitchen, and a play area at the back.

“Trust is so important,” said Marianne Martin, director for Minnie’s Hope.

“It’s about building that relationship and taking the time to build [it].”

Martin said that before her team gets into any challenging parts of social pediatrics, they spend time with the clients over bannock and tea. These sessions can take between 90 minutes to two hours.

“It is not a 15-minute pediatrician appointment where you are scared to go in,” she said, adding that the idea is to make the centre feel homely, not clinical.

Even if a parent doesn’t have a babysitter, it’s “no problem, bring all the kids,” she said.

Marianne Martin, director for Minnie’s Hope, speaks Tuesday about her time at the centre and the new beginning they have with the organization’s new building. (Photo by Cedric Gallant)

“We have an educator, we will keep them busy.”

Most of the staff is from the community, with only the professionals who are mostly non-Indigenous.

“Eventually, we will have Inuit and Cree in those positions,” Martin said.