Project to Improve Remote Indigenous emergency Care in BC Delayed by Pandemic
The BC Emergency Medicine Network has partnered with four Nuu Chah Nulth First Nations communities to understand and improve remote Indigenous emergency care in the province. Together, we are developing a set of actionable items that will have a powerful impact on emergency care delivery.
The project was named ‘Kwiis hen niip’ by a Nuu Chah Nulth elder, meaning ‘Change’.
In the exploratory phase, we listened to stories from the community and discussed solutions for change. From those discussions, we jointly identified four systemic shortcomings in remote Indigenous emergency care:
- First Responder Support
- Patient Transport
- Communications
- Community Readiness
In a recently published interview, Rebecca Lee, Kwiis hen niip Project Manager, speaks about the significance of the project and her frustration about its delay due to COVID-19.
“It’s definitely frustrating,” Lee said of the pandemic, which interrupted work that would be happening now. “But we’re hoping to keep this project going.”
Rebecca Lee, Kwiis hen niip Project Manager
Read the full article in the Ha-Shilth-Sa newspaper.
Work on the Kwiis hen niip project continues despite the challenges presented by the pandemic. Thank you to our partners, the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council (NTC), First Nations Health Authority, Vancouver Island Health Authority, Heart and Stoke Foundation, Justice Institute of BC, BC Emergency Health Services, and Telus Communications.
