Greetings respected Vancouver Coastal First Nations health and wellness leaders,

Today marks the 12^th Edition of our Virtual Engagement E-Bulletin. We will continue to do our best to share timely program and service information.

Dear First Nations Health Directors and delegates of the Vancouver Coastal Region,

We are deeply grateful for your participation & shared input during the Monday February 28th VC Health Directors Virtual Gathering. Thanks for sharing your preference on meeting frequency moving forward, our team will be sending a calendar date hold for our next virtual gathering on Monday May 9 at 1:30pm-3pm. Our hands raised to each of you. Thank you for all that you do.

“Let’s give thanks to creator, the Mother Earth, for guiding us, and continue to so as we move into the new season and New Year. Ask Mother Earth to bless us and our family. Mother Earth please protect us, and bless all of us working together towards with one heart and one mind”. – Sheryl Rivers, Squamish Nation, Knowledge Keeper.

Upcoming Education Sessions on COVID-19 testing and treatment  

The FNHA Vancouver Coastal COVID-19 Education team is pleased to announce upcoming information sessions:

• “The Changing models of COVID-19 testing. Moving from Public Health Management to Early Treatment Access in the Vancouver Coastal Region.”
• 2 identical sessions: March 21^st from 2:30- 4pm or March 28th from 10-11:30am
• Audience: Health Leadership including Nurses and other Health care staff and Community leadership in Vancouver Coastal Region Communities.

Summary: As the COVID-19 Omicron wave recedes, British Columbia is moving into a new phase of pandemic management. This phase will shift from COVID-19 testing for the purpose of case and contact management to focus on testing symptomatic individuals who are at high risk of severe outcomes from COVID-19, so that they can quickly be connected with highly-effective, time-sensitive treatments if they test positive.  

These sessions will introduce newly created resources, provide a brief overview of coming changes, highlight pathways to testing and treatment and provide an opportunity for questions and discussion.

Respected Community Nurses, for the past two years front line health care workers like yourselves have been making sacrifices every day to serve the First Nations communities in the Vancouver Coastal Region, lifting the heavy work that has come with the emergency response of the pandemic. Your services, to ensure community members are cared for and receive the appropriate treatments, is saving lives and is making a huge difference. Your dedication, commitment and courage do not go unnoticed and deserve our deepest admiration and respect.

Look forward to seeing you at this virtual gathering.

By Invitation only

Join​ Us!

The FNHA is a trailblazing organization filled with meaningful work and rich with transformative learning opportunities. Here you will find a sense of direction and belonging, with those who share your drive to create change in the world and in yourself – for better.

• Regional Health Liaison
• Senior Analyst Cultural Safety & Humility
• Analyst Quality & Safety
• Project Manager Primary Care
• Community Relations Manager
• Admin Coordinator

For more information about opportunities at FNHA in the Vancouver Coastal Region contact:

Leslie Violette - Regional Operations Manager

leslie.violette@fnha.ca

Delaram Farshad - Acting Regional Director of Engagement

delaram.frashad@fnha.ca

Upcoming Virtual Town Hall: Session 1 COVID-19 – TODAY  March 17, 1:15-3:15pm

*REGISTRATION REQUIRED*

The First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) is hosting a virtual town hall event to provide First Nations Chiefs, Leaders and Health Directors in British Columbia with a COVID-19 update including information on access to rapid tests, assessing future COVID risks, COVID recovery and time for answering your questions related to the evolving Provincial Health Orders and more.

Date: Thursday, March 17, 2022

Time: 1:15 PM to 3:15 PM (Pacific Time)

Click Here to Register

Upcoming Sessions as part of Virtual Townhall series:

• Session 2 Opioid Overdose State of Emergency – April 7, 9-11am
• Session 3 COVID-19 Lessons Learned – April 21, 1:15-3:15 pm
• Session 4 Tripartite Data Quality and Sharing Agreement (TDQSA)
• More information will be shared as it becomes available

Rekindling Our Spirits: A Day of Indigenous Health & Wellness – March 25

All are welcome and there is no cost to attend:

https://lumarasociety.org/rekindling-our-spirits/

Organizer: Lumara Grief & Bereavement Care Society

Not Just Naloxone Virtual Summit - March 28 & 29

The Not Just Naloxone (NJN) team at the First Nations Health Authority invites all NJN graduates and Health Directors to an annual virtual summit for Indigenous Harm Reduction across colonial British Columbia.

Please Register here: REGISTRATION: Not Just Naloxone Virtual Summit 2022

Date: March 29 and 30, 2022

Time: 9:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M. on both days

Location: Virtual (zoom link to be sent after registration)

Sub-Regional Gatherings – April 21, 25 & 27

Dear Respected VC Region Chiefs/Leaders and Health Directors,

Dates are confirmed for the upcoming Sub-Regional Gatherings. More details will be shared as they become available.

• Southern Stl’atl’imx: April 21 1-3pm
• South Coast: April 25 10am-12pm
• Central Coast: April 27 10am-12pm

All Gatherings are through Zoom by invitation only. If there are questions, please feel free to contact your Community Engagement Coordinator (CEC).

Respected VC Region Chiefs, Leaders and Health Directors,

Dates are confirmed for the upcoming Spring 2022 Virtual Regional Caucus.

Date: Tuesday to Thursday, May 17-19, 2022 via Zoom Meeting.

Registration Link: To be announced

Who is invited to the session?

Similar to past Regional Caucuses, three (3) representatives are invited from each community:

• One Political Lead (e.g. Chief, Councillor, Proxy)
• One Health Lead (e.g. Health Director, Health Manager)
• One Technical Lead as designated by the Political Lead (e.g. Social Lead etc.)

Time to be confirmed and more details to come.