People living in the North Vancouver Island region will have access to First Nations-led primary care with the opening of the new Kwakwaka’wakw First Nations Primary Care Centre (FNPCC).
“The Kwakwaka'wakw First Nation-led Primary Care Service is a collaborative initiative-based in the North Vancouver Island that is aimed at providing primary care to six First Nation Health Centres and providing care to Indigenous members living away from home,” stated Jeneen Hunt, Director of Operations, North Vancouver Island PCI Health Society, (Kwakwaka'wakw FNPCI). “It is taking a community based approach that will work closely with all our members in getting the primary care needs and services brought to them. We look forward to working with our First Nation organizations, Ministry of Health, First Nation Health Authority and Island Health to provide culturally safe care.”
The Kwakwaka’wakw First Nations Primary Care Centre will deliver culturally safe and relevant, trauma-informed primary care to 10 Kwakwaka'wakw Nations in existing health centres or other identified buildings in each respective community. These services will be provided through four pathways: in-community service via air/water traveling care teams, in-community services via road traveling care teams, community-based services for Urban and Away-from-Home Indigenous people, and virtual care (Telehealth) services.
The Kwakwaka’wakw First Nations-led Primary Care Service is a nation-designed wholistic primary care model that is grounded by culture and brings much needed new primary care services right into communities” says Brennan MacDonald, Vice-President, Regional Operations, Vancouver Island Region. “We are proud to stand together with the Nations as this important service is launched and look forward to our continued work in partnership.”
The Centre will be operated by a committee of representatives from 10 Kwakwaka’wakw Nations and will provide services to Indigenous people and their families in the North Vancouver Island region.
Grounded in the Kwakwaka’wakw principle that everyone is taken care of, anyone will be able to access the health services they need at the new centre. The Kwakwaka’wakw FNPCC is a part of the Province and FNHA’s First Nations-led Primary Health Care Initiative, which is intended to improve and increase access to culturally safe health services by opening 15 FNPCCs throughout British Columbia.
“The FNHA is proud of the collaboration between the Ministry of Health and First Nations’ communities to develop a new approach to improving access to culturally safe health care,” said Richard Jock, CEO, FNHA. “The Kwakwaka’waka FNPCI will be one of 15 planned centres across B.C. that will provide the infrastructure to improve and increase access to culturally safe and relevant care, close to home, and designed from the ground up.”
Recruitment for clinical and traditional roles is currently active in all regions of the province. Once fully staffed, the Kwakwaka’wakw FNPCC will combine primary health care, social services and Indigenous health supports into a team of 19.45 net-new full-time equivalent (FTEs), including Traditional Healers and Food Advisors, Nurse Practitioners and Remote Practice Registered Nurses, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Pharmacists and more.
This announcement builds on the 2019 opening of the Lu'ma Medical Centre in Vancouver, the 2022 opening of the All Nations Healing House in Williams Lake, the 2023 ground-breaking ceremony at Éyameth (formerly the Sts’ailes Community Care Campus) in Harrison Mills, and the 2024 coming soon announcement of the remaining 11 FPNCCs across the province.
Quick Facts
Accessible, in-community care is at the core of Kwakwaka'wakw Nations FNPCC service model. A core pillar of the Initiative is to offer services in-community, such that clients do not have to travel away from home to receive needed care. On the North Island, the initiative proposes a “modified hub-and-spoke” model in which 10 participating Kwakwaka'wakw Nations receive services in community through four pathways: In-community via air/water travel to ‘Namgis (Alert Bay), Kwikwasut'inuxw Haxwa'mis (Gilford Island) and Dzawada’enuxw (Kingcome Inlet). In-community via ground travel to Kwakiutl, Gwa’sala-’Nakwaxda’xw and
Quatsino First Nations. In urban areas (at North Island Building Blocks and Sacred Wolf Friendship Centre in Port Hardy) for urban and away-from-home Indigenous Peoples, including members of the Gwawaenuk, Tlatlasikwala, Mamalilikulla, and Da’naxda’xw Nations. Accessible telehealth services available to community members in participating Nations at their respective health centres. Telehealth days will be regularly scheduled and centralized for connection.
