Ottawa Hospital offering patients bandages in a variety of skin tones

Ottawa's largest hospital is now offering inclusive bandages for a variety of skin tones, saying it wants to "better meet the diverse needs of the community we serve."

The Ottawa Hospital says its hospital campuses will now provide all patients with adhesive bandages that complement a variety of skin tones.

"As one of the first hospitals in Canada to adopt these inclusive bandages, we hope to inspire other health-care organizations to make this small but important step towards inclusive care," the Ottawa Hospital said on its website.

Ottawa Hospital Director of Medical Imaging Ellen Odai Alie (right) and hospital staff show off the new inclusive bandages for patients. (Ottawa Hospital/website)

The Ottawa Hospital's Director of Medical Imaging got the idea for the hospital to offer inclusive bandages after visiting a local drug store.

"I thought, ‘If these bandages are available at a chain drug store, why can’t they be available at our hospital?’" Ellen Odai Alie told the Ottawa Hospital. "It may seem like a small thing, but when I put the bandage on, it made me feel valued. For the first time in my life, a bandage matched my skin tone — it was a powerful and emotional moment. What this bandage says is that someone thought about me."

The Ottawa Hospital says its bandages will come in three different shades. The project was supported by the hospital's Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Council.

"The introduction of skin tone bandages into our clinical areas, I hope, conveys to our patients that we are considering all aspects of their care, right down to the subtle details," Dr. Virginia Roth, the Ottawa Hospital's Chief of Staff, said in a statement on the Ottawa Hospital's website.

"That being said, we still have more work to do to break down systemic barriers in health care faced by many members of our community. I and the rest of the hospital’s leadership team look forward to continuing to work with our EDI Council and our patient and family advisors to identify other ways we can meet the needs of our community."

The Ottawa Hospital says adhesive bandages were originally designed as peach coloured to match white skin.

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