Indigenous-led Health Initiatives

Communicating with compassion is a foundational component within Indigenous philosophies. Compassionate leadership connects people, demonstrates empathy to others and, most importantly, adds no additional harm. Over the past year, RCCbc was privileged to work with Chief Shawn Atleo and Heather Atleo from A-in-chut Advisory Services, and Grand Chief Doug Kelly to create a Compassionate Leadership Community of Practice within RCCbc. Members focused on creating a safe space to connect and share. By encouraging discussion about, and integration of, Indigenous ways of knowing and being, the Group’s bi-weekly meetings enhanced the knowledge of RCCbc’s Leadership Team in compassionate leadership.

From there, the Compassionate Leadership Community of Practice embarked on the creation of a compassionate leadership curriculum and training materials for rural health practitioners. Two pilot groups—a carefully-selected Partnership Pentagram Plus (PPP) group, and a Cultural Safety Working Group from the University Hospital of Northern BC comprised of rural health leaders and front-line workers—were selected to pilot the curriculum. The PPP group began training in April 2021; the second group will start in the coming months.

Meanwhile, RISE continued expanding its Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Working Group, initially created in 2018. In the Summer of 2020, the Working Group re-established itself as a reference group and began collaborating with other RCCbc programs and initiatives, including the Rural Surgical and Obstetrical Network evaluation, Rural eMentoring, and the Rural Health Research Network. Together, they discussed points of interest, curriculum review, and ways to incorporate the TRC’s calls to action into their work.

RISE also continued establishing its strategic direction by creating a robust collaboration process, and conceptual tools and diagrams, while embedding Indigenous ways of knowing and being into RCCbc’s current and future policies and procedures. This work is ongoing and routinely evaluated to ensure effectiveness in addressing healthcare inequity.

After many months of planning, and just prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indigenous Physicians Network held its second-annual Indigenous Medicine Education Gathering in Victoria, Esquimalt, at the Songhees Wellness Centre on March 6–8, 2020. This annual event helps equip Indigenous students, residents, physicians, and health allies with skills to cope with systemic racism, to develop a community of practice to address Indigenous health challenges, and to foster well-being and resilience by incorporating Indigenous cultural teachings, workshops, and activities. The 2020 Gathering focused on building relationships between more experienced physicians and those still finding their way, honouring traditional knowledge, and fostering resilience. Participants engaged in cultural ceremony with elders, workshops on traditional plants and medicines, and speaker sessions.

Planning for the third-annual Indigenous Medicine Education Gathering, scheduled for April 2021, began early in the New Year and, for the first time, pivoted to a virtual format due to the pandemic. The theme for this Gathering is “Love and Lift” and will focus on connecting participants to each other, to tradition, and to the shared belief in resilience.

In addition to these successful events, as well as monthly meetings, the Indigenous Physicians Network continued cultivating important relationships with First Nations Health Authority, Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada, and University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Faculty of Medicine.

Throughout 2020–2021, RCCbc also continued to partner with UBC Rural Continuing Professional Development (CPD) on its Indigenous Patient-Led CPD program, which addresses bias and systemic racism experienced by Indigenous peoples when accessing healthcare in rural BC. In addition, RCCbc also provided input into the development of an Indigenous mentorship stream within UBC Rural CPD’s Coaching and Mentoring Program, known as CAMP, which pairs Indigenous medical students and residents with early career physicians and health leaders to gain experience. This ongoing work is regularly evaluated to ensure it addresses healthcare inequity.

Finally, Dr. Terri Aldred, who leads RCCbc’s Indigenous-led Health Initiatives, was honoured with prestigious recognition for her work this past year. She received the Resident Doctors of Canada’s “Mikhael Award for Medical Education” for co-creating a novel learning environment with the Indigenous Medicine Family Program at UBC.

In the coming year, the Indigenous Physicians Network will continue building dialogue through its listserv. It will also plan the 2022 Indigenous Medicine Education Gathering and explore the feasibility of holding regional Gatherings. Meanwhile, RISE will reopen its reference group opportunities and complete its TRC response and action plan. It will also hold space for other strategic priorities as they emerge. The Compassionate Leadership Community of Practice will complete its two compassionate leadership training pilot projects and evaluate the curriculum’s impact in supporting rural healthcare leaders to address healthcare inequities and anti-Indigenous racism in rural BC healthcare. Finally, the UBC Rural CPD Indigenous Patient-Led CPD program will continue working with interested rural Indigenous and physician communities to develop Nation-led cultural safety education, and evaluate its impact on the care received by rural Indigenous community members.