How LHSC’s Black Health Navigator, Suishanie Brooks, is transforming care

February 5, 2026

For many Black patients and families, hospital visits are deeply personal moments where feeling heard, understood, and treated with respect can make all the difference. Yet long-standing barriers within the health-care system have meant that this has not always been the case.  

London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) is taking steps to address these inequities and ensure Black patients and families receive equitable, culturally safe care at every step of their journey by introducing the role of the Black Health Navigator.

Suishanie Brooks serves as the Black Health Navigator at LHSC. Her work involves facilitating open, effective communication between patients, families, and care teams, and providing guidance so individuals understand their health-care options.  

This support can range from helping patients prepare for appointments and understand next steps in their care, to advocating alongside them during difficult conversations with care teams. Patients often reach out for support navigating complex care plans, addressing their concerns, or simply understanding what to expect as they move through the hospital system.

However, Brooks finds that her presence alone can have a positive impact on the care experience of patients.

“There have been moments when I walk into a room and there’s an immediate sense of relief,” she says. “Sometimes I don’t even need to speak. Just being there lets them know that they are not alone.”

A bridge between patients and care teams 

Image: Suishanie Brooks, LHSC’s Black Health Navigator, works with clinical teams and staff like Jenna Newton, a Clinical Navigator at LHSC, to ensure the needs of Black patients and families are being met.  

The Black Health Navigator is a cultural, nursing-based role that acts as a bridge between patients, families, and care teams. According to Cathy Wood, Interim Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at LHSC, the role ensures that patients are true partners in their care.

“A key part of the Black Health Navigator’s job is to ensure that the patient’s voice is heard,” Wood explains. “The role was created to help care teams better understand the cultural needs and nuances of caring for patients from Black, African, and Caribbean communities, and help patients feel comfortable enough to ask questions they might otherwise hold back.”

To connect with the Black Health Navigator at LHSC, patients and family members can reach out directly through the contact information listed on LHSC’s Black Health website or make a request to any member of their care team.

Advancing health equity one patient at a time 

LHSC is committed to advancing health equity by dismantling systemic racism and creating safer, more inclusive spaces for patients, families, members of the community and Team LHSC. The Black Health Navigator role is an example of that commitment in action.  

“This role aligns directly with LHSC’s fundamental commitments,” Wood says. “It helps create culturally affirming spaces for patients, while supporting staff on their learning journey around anti-Black racism, cultural humility, and equity-informed care.”

The impact extends far beyond interactions with patients and members of Team LHSC. By improving communication and trust between patients, families, and care teams, the Black Health Navigator helps reduce misunderstandings, avoid delays, and support smoother care journeys.  

For Black patients and families, that sense of safety can be the difference between feeling guarded and feeling empowered to fully engage in their care. When Brooks reflects on the purpose of her work, she distills it to a simple but powerful idea.  

“When patients feel safe, it can change everything,” she says. “They can focus on what really matters – their health and healing.”