My name is Eva Holmes, and I am very excited to be joining the FNHA’s Vancouver Island Toxic Drug Response Team as a co-op student. 
I am Coast Salish. I was born and raised in Sooke, on the traditional territories of the T’Sou-ke and Sc’ianew peoples. A few years ago, I moved to Victoria, located on the traditional territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) peoples, including the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations, to be closer to the University of Victoria and continue my education.

I am currently completing my Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology at the University of Victoria. Through my studies, I have developed a strong interest in mental health, community wellness, trauma-informed care, and supporting people through compassionate and culturally safe approaches. I am very grateful for the opportunity to learn more about harm reduction work and to contribute to supporting communities across the Island region.
Outside of school and work, I enjoy staying active through running and going to the gym, and I also love reading in my spare time. I value connection, learning, and spending time outdoors, and I am excited to continue growing both personally and professionally in this role.

I look forward to meeting and working with everyone.

FNHA Contact: Eva.Holmes@fnha.ca

K’eex̱áaw, my name is Cher Nichols. I come from a mix of white settlers as well as Haida and Coast Salish family here in BC. I am grateful to step into the role of First Nations Primary Care Nurse, bringing over 30 years of nursing experience along with a strong commitment to community-centered care.

I have lived on Vancouver Island for the past nine years, and throughout my career I’ve had the privilege of working across many parts of this province, including my ancestral territories in Haida Gwaii and Coast Salish regions. These experiences have shaped my approach to care, grounding it in respect, relationship-building, and cultural safety.

I am honored to be working in primary care alongside Coast Salish Nations and to be part of a team dedicated to advancing equitable health care, improving health outcomes, and fostering environments where people feel safe and supported.

I look forward to this journey and to meeting and learning from many of you along the way.

I currently live with my family on the unceded territory of the Quw’utsun’in North Cowichan. Outside of work, you’ll often find us enjoying the parks and playgrounds throughout this beautiful community.

FNHA Contact: Cheryl.Nichols@fnha.ca

National Nursing Week is a time to celebrate and honour the essential role nurses play in supporting healthy, self-determining and vibrant First Nations children, families and communities. This year, we're sharing messages from leaders across the regions, reflecting on the power of nurses to transform health care.

To our Community Health Nurses across Vancouver Island – thank you for the care, dedication and leadership you bring to your work every day.

Your contributions extend beyond clinical care, grounded in cultural humility, strong relationships and a commitment to wholistic wellness. Whether supporting community-led services, strengthening access to care, or walking alongside individuals and families, you're the backbone of care and your impact is felt across communities. We are grateful for the role you play in advancing health and wellness and honour the meaningful difference you continue to make. Gilakas'la - Kleco Kleco - Huy ch q'u.

The Tseshaht community hosted a powerful three-day gathering: the Giving Voice Sacred Tseshaht Women Empowerment Conference (May 22–24, 2026) at Maht Mah’s Gymnasium. The Vancouver Island Region was proud to be there supporting this inspiring event.

Leslee Wyse, Community Engagement Coordinator, and Beryl Parke, Social Worker with the First Nations Health Authority, were on site connecting with community members—sharing resources, engaging in meaningful conversations, and offering some fun swag.

The conference brought together voices, knowledge, and healing through sessions focused on wellness, health, traditional practices, and resilience.

Regional Diabetes Strategy Engagement Sessions: Uchucklesaht, Snuneymuxw, Wei Wai Kai, Kwakiutl

Across four gatherings on Vancouver Island (VI), the VI Region with the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA), had the privilege of sitting with communities, listening, learning, and sharing space in ways that felt grounded in respect and relationship. Each gathering brought forward its own voice, stories, and truths. There were moments of quiet reflection and moments of laughter and storytelling, but throughout it all, the care, openness, and honesty each community brought forward remained constant.

These sessions were offered as an opportunity to come together around something important for the region: the Vancouver Island First Nations Regional Diabetes Strategy, developed in collaboration with IDEA Diabetes consultants Rebecca Sovdi and Barbara MacDonald. What makes this work meaningful is that it is rooted in community. It was created by and for First Nations on Vancouver Island and continues to be guided by them.

The gatherings created space for community members, health staff, cooks, and others to learn more about the Strategy and explore how it could live in their own work and communities. The conversations that followed reflected both the strength of community knowledge and the realities that shape day-to-day experiences.

Across every gathering, a clear and consistent understanding emerged: care cannot be delivered through systems alone. It must begin with relationship.
“Instead of making a report…people would bring something, like a fish and we would help each other,” says Wickaninnish (Cliff Atleo Sr.), grounding us in lived experience. These reflections echoed across communities, reminding us that the foundation for wellness is already present, held within families, cultures, and long-standing practices of caring for one another.

At the same time, people spoke openly about the realities they continue to navigate. Access to care was one of the most consistent challenges raised throughout the island. “What’s in Vancouver isn’t here,” one participant explained, naming the gaps that exist between urban and rural or remote communities. Others spoke about long travel times, limited access to specialists, and the disruption caused by frequent provider turnover. “You finally get somewhere… and then the doctor changes,” another participant reflected, an experience many recognized.

As these conversations continued, we moved naturally from system challenges into deeper discussions about how diabetes itself is understood and experienced.

For many, the dominant narrative has long been shaped by blame and restriction. Through these gatherings, we heard how important it is to move toward a more compassionate and connected understanding, one that reflects the realities of people’s lives. “It’s not your fault,” was shared in the sessions, and it resonated deeply. It opened space to consider how diabetes is connected to stress, trauma, poverty, and the ongoing impacts of colonization. These are factors that cannot be separated from health and wellbeing.

People shared their own experiences in ways that brought this to life. “I grew up without enough food… now I always make too much,” one participant reflected, connecting past experiences to present-day relationships with food. Others spoke about caring for children, Elders, and extended family, while navigating systems that do not always feel safe or accessible.

From these shared experiences, another idea began to take hold across gatherings: food is love. This was a core focus of the work led by Rebecca Sovdi and Barbara MacDonald, shifting the conversation away from restriction and toward relationship. Instead of focusing on what people should eat, discussions centred on what people enjoy, what they can access, and what nourishment looks like in the context of their lives, families, and cultures. As Elder Maggie shared through Rebecca, this understanding reflects a deeper connection between food, care, and community.

There was a strong and consistent message about the importance of shared power. Care works best when people are at the centre, when their knowledge, preferences, and autonomy are respected. Community members spoke about the importance of working together, reflecting a shared vision for care that is collaborative, respectful, and grounded in relationship. This aligns closely with the IDEA Diabetes philosophy and pathway, which centres partnership and collective problem-solving.

By bringing these voices together, the conversations moved toward what is possible. From reflecting on challenges, to reshaping language and understanding, to identifying solutions rooted in community strengths, a shared path forward began to emerge.

“We already care for each other… we just need the system to support that,” a participant reminded us.

Across the Vancouver Island Region, this message was clear: the future of diabetes care is not something that will be built for communities, but with them. As FNHA, we carry these learnings forward with care and responsibility, continuing to walk alongside communities as they bring the Regional Diabetes Strategy to life in ways that reflect their strengths, knowledge, and priorities.

FNHA is proud to share that Chief Medical Officer Dr. Nel Wieman has been named a recipient of the inaugural Dr. Barry Lavallee Indigenous Health Advocacy Award by the Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada.

As gas prices across BC increase, First Nations Health Benefits is implementing a temporary milage rate increase to ensure that changes do not impact clients' ability to access medically necessary appointments when using their private vehicles.

As BC transitions into warmer weather, it's important to prepare for potential events that may occur such as wildfires, extreme heat or floods. Elder Eugene Harry, from the Cowichan Tribes, joined FNHA's Health Emergency Management team to talk about emergency preparedness from a First Nations perspective.

The Centre for Indigenous Health Leadership is a designated post secondary institution created by Health Directors, for Health Directors. The program emphasizes practical, real world skills and accessible learning and provides full tuition grants to reduce barriers and support community leadership.

FNHA and the Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation Council are proud to share Volume Three of the Food is Medicine recipe book, Gifts from Relations. This newest edition builds on earlier volumes, expanding the collection with additional recipes that celebrate connection, culture and wellness.

The annual 30x30 Active Wellness Challenge begins June 1. The initiative invites us to come together around the kitchen table, reflect on what wellness looks like for our families, and set goals that feel meaningful and achievable.

To mark ALS Awareness Month, FNHA is sharing the story of the late Elvis James George. His family has made it their mission to raise awareness about ALS and support others by sharing his journey and the warning signs of this devastating disease.

Climate change is making allergy season start earlier, last longer and affect more people. Warmer temperatures and shifting weather patterns are disrupting natural cycles, leading to higher pollen levels and longer periods of exposure.

Eligible groups can now express their interest in having a mini-pitch built in their community.

On March 19, 2026, the Province of British Columbia, viaSport, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced that as many as 20 communities will be chosen to receive a state-of-the-art soccer mini-pitch, in celebration of the FIFA World Cup 2026™. The Province of B.C. and viaSport are providing $10 million to help bring this project to life, with Vancouver Whitecaps FC contributing an additional $3 million to support its success.

The grant is established in partnership with Community Action Initiative (CAI), the Ministry of Health (MoH) and Gambling Supports B.C. (GSBC), and is informed by the needs of First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and urban Indigenous service providers, Nations and community organizations. The grant offers funding of up to $45,000 per year over a two-year period, to a maximum total of $90,000 per grantee. It is available to First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and urban Indigenous-led organizations delivering services to Indigenous communities in British Columbia. 

TSG support organizations addressing the root causes of inequality and allow those most affected by systems that create unfair conditions to shape their own futures. The grant’s funding supports efforts that influence one or more of the six conditions of systems change: policies, practices, resource flows, relationships, power dynamics, and mental models. It supports work that focuses on creating lasting change by addressing the conditions that keep systemic issues in place. 

The 2026 program includes two funding streams: Explore and Influence. They support organizations at different stages of changing systems: those beginning to explore root causes and those ready to test, deepen, or expand their influence. 

As part of the Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation Council’s (I·SPARC) Healthy Living programming, the Food Systems Program (FSP) supports Indigenous communities in reaching their food sovereignty and food security goals. The Food Systems Program distributes grant opportunities and provides support with capacity building, technical training, networking, and cultural sharing through in-person gatherings, online education/events, and resource sharing. I·SPARC is committed to being inclusive of all aspects of food relations while offering a low-barrier strengths-based approach. Building on over ten years of prior momentum, I·SPARC is now in the fifth year of delivering the Food Systems Program in 2026-27, funded in partnership with the First Nations Health Authority. 

• Family Physician - Nuu-chah-nulth Primary Care Centre (?uuk?inkpanac)
• Family Physician - Pata'yi Primary Care Initiative (Kwakwaka’wakw Communities on Northern Vancouver Island)
• Mental Health Clinician (Cowichan Valley)
• Nurse Practitioner - Coast Salish FNPCC (South Vancouver Island)
• Nurse Practitioner - Pata'yi Primary Care Centre (Kwakwaka’wakw Communities on Northern Vancouver Island)
• Community Health & Home Care Nurse (Gilford, Vancouver Island)
• Diabetes Nurse Leader (Oyster Bay)
• Primary Care Registered Nurse (Tseycum - Saanich)
• Coast Salish Hub Clinician (Vancouver Island)
• Community Coordinator, Crisis Response (Tseshaht)
• Director, Family Based Programs and Services (Nuu-Chah-Nulth Territory)
• Health and Wellness Specialist, Kwakwaka’wakw Cultural Family Group (Port Hardy or Quinsam, BC)
• Medical Office Assistant,Vancouver Island Primary Care Centre Cowichan Tribes (Cowichan Valley)
• Director for First Nations Governance, Engagement & Culture (Fraser Salish Region)
• Quality Care Coordinator (Port Alberni/Tseshaht)
• Quality Care Coordinator (Port Hardy/Campbell River)
• Quality Care Coordinator (Stz'uminus/Oyster Bay)
• Project Lead, Health Services in Remote Isolated Communities
• Project Lead, Racism (Ladysmith/Stz’uminus)
• Project Lead, Regionalization (Ladysmith)
• Regional Senior Coordinator (Stzuminus/Oyster Bay)