B.C. First Nations hope an agreement signed with Vancouver's health authority will give them more say in plans that affect the health of aboriginal people.
Vancouver Coastal Health and the First Nations Health Authority signed the accord in mid-May. It sets the stage for First Nations to make health decisions and not just give advice to VCH, as they have done in the past, said Leah George-Wilson, a former chief of the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation and now a member of the First Nations Health Council.
"Our First Nations people don't get treated very well at our local hospital," said George-Wilson, referring to Lions Gate Hospital. "We would like to build a relationship with Vancouver Coastal Health so we could make some changes so our people feel more comfortable in those institutions."
Incorporating spiritual ceremonies, such as smudging, into sterile hospital environments is one of the first things the two health authorities will be working on together, said Ted Bruce, executive director of population health at VCH.
"It demonstrates such a dramatic change," said Bruce. "If you think about it, hospitals are generally places where doctors and nurses and other health-care providers work, and having someone come in and do spiritual practices has not been very welcomed in the past."
The two health bodies will also be working on offering services that fit the community's needs. In the past, said Bruce, what Vancouver Coastal Health provided may not have lined up with what the community was asking for. "For example, we may have delivered a lot of mental-health and addiction services in a particular area," said Bruce, "while the community itself may have wanted much more health oriented prevention services."
The First Nations Health Authority was created in 2011 to address inconsistencies in health services for aboriginal people in B.C., which are funded and provided by a mix of federal, provincial and First Nations agencies.
Currently, said George-Wilson, "money gets transferred from the federal government to the provincial government to deliver health services to First Nations, without any kind of discussion with First Nations on how that delivery is managed."
B.C. First Nations have a higher risk of developing diabetes, pneumonia, HIV/ AIDS and being injured in motor vehicle accidents than the rest of the population, according to a 2001 report by the B.C. provincial health officer.
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