Animation on Cree community heart health accepted to Toronto Shorts

​​​​​(Toronto, Aug. 22, 2024) — The collaborative teams from Weeneebayko Area Health Authority (WAHA), TRANSFORM HF and University Health Network (UHN) have been selected to showcase their animated short film on First Nations' heart health at the 2024 Toronto Shorts International Film Festival.

The film, Strengthening our Hearts through a River of Possibilities, is set in the communities of Moosonee and Moose Factory, Ont., gateway to the Arctic and traditional territory of the Moose Cree people.

It highlights key themes from community members' stories about managing their heart health, including difficulties accessing specialized care close to home and being offered treatment plans that respect their cultural values. Despite these challenges, the resilience of these communities transcends throughout the animation, underscoring the importance of relationships with family, the land and one's emotional, mental, and spiritual health.

"The animation was informed by sharing circles with community members, which provided insight into the unique experience of patients in the region," explains Justice Seidel, Community Relations Consultant for the project. "It's an opportunity to share these findings with community members — and a wider audience — in a way that's representative of Cree culture."

For centuries, Moose Factory has been a gathering site for Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples within the region. Although communities in the region each have their own unique histories, they are all connected by the importance they place on the relationships they have with their people and their land. While the remoteness of each community has made access to specialized health care challenging, the Cree people of western James Bay and Hudson Bay live with resiliency — paving the way for a healthier future for themselves and generations to come.

Hopeful for community-driven care solutions that can bridge the unique worldviews of Western health care and Indigenous communities, Strengthening our Hearts through a River of Possibilities emphasizes the role digital innovation plays in bringing holistic health care closer to home, particularly through the use of UHN-developed Medly — an app that remotely connects more than 70 WAHA patients to their medical team.

This nomination recognizes how the ongoing clinical and research partnership between WAHA and UHN can support culturally safe care for those living in the western James and Hudson Bay region, using both a First Nations and Western worldview of healing.

The film festival nominee was co-developed by Rachel Corston (Sheridan College animation student from Moose Cree First Nation), Beatrice Chen (graduate student in the University of Toronto's Master of Biomedical Communications), Janice Cheng (Vancouver Institute of Media Arts alumni), Elder Greg Spence (Director of Community Relations, WAHA), Justice Seidel (medical student at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine University), and Dr. Sahr Wali (scientific associate at UHN and Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research). It builds on findings from community-based research supported by a partnership between WAHA and UHN.

Recognizing the value of culture and community, Strengthening our Hearts through a River of Possibilities features symbolic animal characters, real-life locations and Cree metaphors to capture the realities of living in remote communities with heart conditions, and the need for culturally safe care.

"Portraying a community issue in a positive and light-hearted way is a step in the right direction," shares Corston. "I'm really glad I got to use my artistic skills and be a big part of making our animated film."

About Weeneebayko Area Health Authority

Weeneebayko Area Health Authority is a regional, community-focused organization, committed to providing optimum health care as close to home as possible. With a population of more than 12,000 people living along the western James Bay and Hudson Bay coasts, the Weeneebayko Area Health Authority operates hospitals in Moose Factory, Fort Albany, and Attawapiskat, and a health centre in Moosonee, as well as providing paramedic services to the entire region. The majority of people living in the region's coastal communities are of proud Cree lineage.

About TRANSFORM HF

TRANSFORM HF is an Institutional Strategic Initiative created in joint support and partnership with the University of Toronto and the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research. The initiative is co-led by Drs. Heather Ross (Division Head of Cardiology, UHN) and Craig Simmons (Distinguished Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto). TRANSFORM HF's mission is to enable patients to become more active in their own health and increase equitable access to specialized cardiac care by uniting a team of experts, patients, and communities in the development of innovative technologies for heart failure care.

About University Health Network (UHN)

UHN is Canada's No. 1 hospital and the world's No. 1 publicly funded hospital. With 10 sites and more than 20,000 members of TeamUHN, UHN consists of Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, The Michener Institute of Education and West Park Healthcare Centre. As Canada's top research hospital, the scope of research and complexity of cases at UHN have made it a national and international source for discovery, education and patient care. It has the largest hospital-based research program in Canada, with major research in cardiology, transplantation, neurosciences, oncology, surgical innovation, infectious diseases, genomic medicine and rehabilitation medicine. University Health Network is a research hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto. www.uhn.ca