A new Gitxsan-Wet’suwet’en Primary Health Care Centre is set to open soon.
This centre is First Nations Health Authority interim-operated and will prioritize service delivery to Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en First Nations members in addition to First Nations and Indigenous people residing on their territories.
It is one of 13 First Nations primary care centres in the works that are being completed in partnership between the Province of British Columbia and First Nations Health Authority. In a combined press release, they said this a key step toward increasing access to culturally safe, primary health care in B.C.
The centre, located in Hazelton, will include physicians, nurse practitioners and allied health professionals, and a mental health and traditional wellness team that will provide culturally-led, trauma informed, wraparound care.
Allied health professionals provide a range of preventative, diagnostic, technical and therapeutic healthcare and clinical support services. They include, but are not limited to, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers, dietitians, dental hygienists, etc.
There will also be a mobile clinic with coordinated outreach to Gitwangak and Anspayaxw.
This expansion of First Nations-led primary care aligns with the Ministry of Health’s commitment to the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act to deliver services that are First Nations-led as well as informed by traditional wellness values and by the lived experiences of Indigenous Peoples. the health ministry said.
Recruitment for clinical and traditional roles is currently active in all regions of the province. Centres offering services in phases will offer limited services to begin with and provide more as positions are filled.
