Today, June 21, is National Indigenous Peoples Day and forms part of Indigenous History Month across Canada. It’s a time to learn about the unique cultures, traditions and experiences of First Nations, Inuit and Métis and to honour the stories, achievements and resilience of Indigenous Peoples.
In 2022, we conducted our first intake of the Cultural Safety Grant projects, under the purview of the BCCFP Cultural Safety & Humility Working Group, established in 2021. The program forms part of our ongoing Declaration of Commitment to reconciliation and addressing anti-Indigenous racism and inequity in health care.
Seven grants of $5000 were awarded to family physicians to support with projects of varying objectives. Some exemplary and thoughtful work came out of these initiatives, which represent new and continued building of relationships between family physicians and First Nations communities in BC.
It’s a great privilege to share the purpose and outcomes of these completed projects which include:
- Maternal care for the vulnerable (Chetwynd/South Peace region)
- Traditional medicine workshops (Victoria)
- Cultural safety and medication (Courtenay/Comox Valley)
- Bringing cultural recognition through art (Penticton)
- ER triage videos (Prince George)
- Public-facing W̱SÁNEĆ art at a local community health centre (Victoria/Saanich)
