Tears stream down the face of Pearl Gambler, a member of the Bigstone Cree First Nation, as she speaks to the media Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022, about the mistreatment she received at Misericordia Community Hospital in Edmonton when she gave birth to her daughter, Sakihitowin Azaya Gambler, who died shortly after birth. Photo by David Bloom/Postmedia

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Warning: this story contains details that some readers may find disturbing.

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A Bigstone Cree First Nation woman is suing Covenant Health after she says she was forced to deliver her baby alone at an Edmonton hospital where staff allegedly referred to her daughter as a “specimen” after she was told the baby had died. Sign up to receive daily news headlines from the Edmonton Journal, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. By clicking the subscribe button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300

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Speaking at a press conference Thursday at Treaty 8 First Nation Urban Child and Family Services in northwest Edmonton, Pearl Gambler recounted the birth and death of her daughter, Sakihitowin Azaya Gambler, on June 12, 2020, at Misericordia Community Hospital. Her lawyer, Shelagh McGregor, claimed Gambler was discriminated against because she is Indigenous. A lawsuit has been filed against Covenant Health. “The fact is the events that happened here would not have happened to her as a Caucasian woman, her lack of recognition of her daughter’s life and her value as a mother to comfort her daughter as she was dying,” McGregor said.

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In an emailed statement, Covenant Health spokeswoman Karen Diaper said all complaints and concerns are taken seriously. “Racism and discrimination in all its forms have no place at Covenant Health,” she said. “Covenant Health is reviewing the allegations.” Gabler, speaking through tears, said she was in her second trimester when she began to feel pain. A bed was arranged for her at Misericordia Community Hospital, as her doctor thought Gambler might be in labor. When she arrived at the hospital, wearing her hair in braids and a black T-shirt with white text that read “Strong, Resilient, Native,” she was taken to the maternity ward. “It was the staff member who jumped up, jumped up and said, ‘Why are you here?’ And my partner started explaining that I was in pain and that the doctor sent me here,” Gambler said.

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“He looked me up and down and said, ‘There’s nothing here for you.’ After waiting several more hours, Gambler finally said she was given a bed. Her partner had told her to leave due to pandemic restrictions. Gabler’s contractions started the next morning and she felt something was wrong. She said she was alone in the room crying, until her partner came.

The nurse reportedly stayed nearby during the delivery

Eventually, a nurse came and Gabler told him she was in pain, she said. He left and “didn’t come back for a long time.” Her water broke and Gabler’s partner came outside and told staff the baby was coming, she said. The male nurse came back again, but just stood by, Gabler said. “He stood 10 feet away from me and watched me give birth to my daughter and didn’t help me,” she said. “He put his hand over his mouth and watched me deliver and I was screaming.”

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Finally, the nurse ran out saying she was going to get a doctor, but no one came, Gabler said. About 30 minutes later, nurses came, Gabler said, and the umbilical cord was cut. She said she was told she was having a “beautiful, healthy, baby girl.” But soon after, she was told her baby had died and was placed in a “basket” at the nurses’ station, Gambler said. According to medical records she obtained months after her daughter’s death, it was noted that the baby was still alive after she was told she had died, Gabler said. “They documented that … after they took her, my baby from me, that my baby was still gasping for air,” she said. “He wasn’t gone. She died alone in that basket in that nursing station without help.” After giving birth, while preparing for surgery to remove her placenta, Gambler said a staff member came in and introduced himself and asked if Gambler was “going to take her sample home.” The employee also questioned whether she could afford a funeral, Gambler said.

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“My daughter didn’t have to fight for her life because I’m indigenous,” Gambler said. “He should have been treated fairly, just like anyone else who walks into this hospital.” What allegedly happened to Gabler and her daughter “demonstrates that Indigenous lives continue to be less important than others in Alberta’s health care system,” said Treaty 8 Chief Arthur Nosky. Noskey is calling for a number of immediate measures, including but not limited to a public inquiry into the negative impacts of Indigenous people in Alberta, a university review of systemic discrimination against Indigenous people at Misericordia, and the implementation of increased and regular Indigenous cultural training in the health care system.

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In an emailed statement, Alberta Health Services (AHS) spokesperson Kerry Williamson said racism, discrimination and intolerance have no place in the health care system. “We know that many Indigenous people do not seek care for an illness or injury because they do not feel safe or welcome in the health system, or because they believe their cultural traditions will not be respected or understood,” she said. He said the health authority has developed guidance and direction to improve care for all Indigenous people in Alberta, each health zone has Indigenous liaisons who work with Indigenous patients and families and provide training and education to staff. AHS also has a number of training and resources to combat racism in the workplace, Williamson said.

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“AHS will continue to work with Indigenous communities and our partners to improve the care we provide, ensuring culturally safe, accessible health care for all.” Health Minister Jason Copping said in a statement that it is known that Indigenous people too often feel discriminated against, and that needs to change. “Our government is committed – and I am personally committed – to eliminating racism from our health system. To do that, we need to work with First Nations to make sure the system includes their perspective and meets their needs,” Copping said. “AHS must continue its work toward this goal, and I am also working to incorporate a First Nations perspective in all of our system-wide initiatives, from capacity building to primary care reform, through the Indigenous panel which is part of the primary care care renewal initiative.” [email protected] Twitter.com/JunkerAnna

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