Embedding equity in health systems: Lessons from 'Remi Ejiwunmi on midwifery models at Trillium Health Partners

Midwife ‘Remi Ejiwunmi, Vice President of the future Shah Family Hospital for Women and Children, shared reflections at Minofest 2026, the Racialized Reproductive and Maternal Health Conference held at North York General Hospital, on why midwifery is key to designing equitable health systems.  

This year’s theme explored how data is used in perinatal and reproductive health care, raising important questions about who it serves and excludes, and how systems can be redesigned to better support marginalized communities. For Black and racialized families in Canada, these are urgent, lived realities. Across the conference, researchers, doulas, clinicians and community leaders highlighted efforts to uncover disparities, uplift overlooked knowledge and push for accountability and change.  

At Trillium Health Partners, a major step toward this vision began in October 2025, with the integration of women’s and children’s services into a single site. This integration of birthing spaces, NICU capacity and inpatient care sets the stage for the future Shah Family Hospital for Women and Children, Ontario’s first dedicated hospital of its kind. Grounded in equity, cultural responsiveness and gender-inclusive care, the transformation aims to better serve Mississauga’s diverse communities. Through collaboration with community partners and the use of community-informed data, care is designed to be more targeted, accessible and responsive.  

‘Remi emphasized that midwifery’s continuity of care—including accompanying the patient seamlessly across care settings; commitment to informed choice; and a high-touch, low-volume, relationship-based approach—uniquely positions it to reduce inequities across the system.  

Ultimately, this transformation is about more than a new building; it is about reimagining care. Embedding equity as a core feature of high-quality, seamless, integrated care—and building models aligned with midwifery—creates a framework where these elements can be used as levers to continuously improve Black health outcomes across sexual, reproductive, perinatal and newborn care.