Latest News

In honour of Orange Shirt Day, First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) and Indigenous Health, NH have partnered to host a t-shirt decorating challenge!

The Government of Canada has released updated information related to COVID-19 for Indigenous Peoples and communities.

A memorial totem polehonouring murdered and missing Indigenous womenwas raised outside Terrace, B.C., along the infamous Highway of Tears.

The raising will mark the end of a long journey for Gladys Radek, who for nearly a decade held an annual 350-kilometre walk along the highway to bring attention to those who have been lost.

On August 25, the Federal Government announced new funding available to Indigenous communities to deal with mental health issues stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The $82.5 million will be divided between First Nations, Inuit, and Métis regional organizations, which will determine how the money is used.

In this issue we review some of the places you can go for trusted sources of COVID-19 information. In addition, you will also find information on the FNHA-NH First Nations Working Group.

We also share news about FNHA's new mobile app and a review of all the exciting virtual events that took place on National Indigenous Peoples Day.

"It’s not just about looking inward, it’s about sharing information and helping others..."

The COVID-19 Online Clinic and Information Line for Northern BC residents is seeing an increase in call volumes, which may result in longer wait times. The line is quite busy during its opening hours, between 10 am and 1 pm.

A webinar hosted by the National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health (NCCIH), Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC) and Canadian Institutes of

Northern Health’s Board and Executive would like to recognize the hard work, commitment, and caring demonstrated by all of our staff and physicians during the COVID-19 outbreak. Thank you from Northern Health’s Board and Executive!

June 21 was National Indigenous Peoples Day! Across the country, Canadians virtually recognized and celebrated the unique heritage, diverse cultures, and outstanding contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.

Register for the National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health's (NCCIH) webinar on Traditional Indigenous Medicine in North America: A review. 

Date: June 26th, 2020Time: 9:30 am - 11:00 am PST; 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm EST

As we continue working to stop the spread of COVID-19 across BC, we have updated the “Coronavirus (COVID-19): North

As of June 4, Northern Health’s COVID-19 Online Clinic and Information Line will be changing its hours to:

On Thursday, May 7, the NH COVID-19 Online Clinic and Information Line will be changing its hours to:

Northern Health staff and physicians are working hard to keep you safe, but we need your help. Remember to stay at home when you are sick, even if mild symptoms. Wash your hands regularly, avoid crowded spaces and take care of your mental well-being.

Have questions about COVID-19, or just want to find our more? Check out this event on Facebook!

It's more important than ever to wash your hands regularly and properly, with soap and water for at least 20 seconds - and if possible avoid touching your face at all times. Disinfect all commonly used surfaces, or try avoid touching surfaces other people touch often.

Coronavirus: A Northern Health guide for your community

These are uncertain times and many Northerners are feeling anxious or worried. As your health authority, we wanted to let you know what we’re doing to prepare for the COVID-19 outbreak.

Northern Health has launched a COVID-19 Online Clinic and Information Line to help answer questions and concerns from Northern BC residents. The NH COVID-19 Online Clinic and Information Line can be reached at 1-844-645-7811.

In this issue, we congratulate the A/IHICs on thier BC Patient Safety and Quality

Members of the Indigenous Health team wear pink to commemorate Pink Shirt Day. This year's theme is Lift Each Other Up – a simple but powerful message encouraging us to look beyond our differences and celebrate the things that make us unique.

Northern Health’s (NH) Indigenous Health department would like to extend a huge congratulations to the Aboriginal/Indigenous Improvement Committees (A/IHICs), this year’s winner of the BC Patient Safety

Northern Health (NH) and First Nation’s Health Authority (FNHA) are happy to release the 2019/2020 call for Wellness Grant applications for

The National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health (NCCIH) is hosting a webinar on Indigeno

The Indigenous Health team would like to extend a big congratulations to Dr. Jessie King, Lead, Research and Community Engagement, who successfully defended her PhD. 

This summer, 18 Indigenous students from urban and rural Northern BC communities traveled to the University of Northern BC (UNBC)to participate in the first ever Northern BC Indigenous Yo

Aboriginal/Indigenous Health Improvement Committees (A/IHICs) are action oriented groups of people who work together to support health and wellness for Indigenous people, families, and communities in Northern BC.

The winter of 2018 saw the unveiling of a special work of art that acknowledges the traditional territory of Lheidli T’enneh and welcomes Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to the University Hospital of Northern BC (UHNBC).

June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day!

Dr Margo Greenwood, Northern Health’s VP of Indigenous Health, has been appointed to the federal Expert Panel on Early Learning and Child Care by the Minist

Maybe you’ve seen their smiling faces on a TV screen at one of our hospitals or maybe you’ve heard the term “APL,” but you’re still not sure what exactly Aboriginal Patient Liaisons are, much less what they do.

Editor's note: May 6-12 is Nursing Week! This story is one of several posted this week to celebrate and showcase the many different types of nursing roles in Northern Health in honour of Nursing Week! Check out the other stories on the Northern Health Matters blog!

Applications are now being accepted for the 2019 Urban Communities Partnering for Reconciliation (UCPR) pilot program.

Northern Health is looking for community partners with ideas for projects that will improve the health of those living, working, learning and playing in Northern BC.  The call for applications to apply for the latest round of IMAGINE Community Grants is now open.

Northern Health (NH) and the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) are offering Wellness Grants for a maximum of $5,000 to support Indigenous communities and/or organizations (First Nations, Inuit, Métis) working to improve health and well-being.

First Nations and Aboriginal peoples and partners will be coming together in wellness at 145 Day of Wellness events throughout British Columbia on June 21. This year communities have been encouraged to show cultural pride by bringing together the wisdom of Elders and the energy of youth at their celebrations.

Salmon and halibut are important staples in the diet of many people in BC, and continue to be a food of significance to coastal First Nations peoples.

This summer, the province of British Columbia saw one of the worst fire seasons in decades. Thousands of people from the Cariboo region were evacuated to centres in Kamloops and Prince George.

On August 28th, Justin Trudeau announced the split of the department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada into two new ministries: the Department of Crown –Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, and the Department of Indigenous Services.

On September 13th, 2007, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), encompassing 370 million Indigenous Peoples in more th

Change Day is a global movement that was started in 2013 by the National Health Service in England. Countries all over the world have since launched their own change days.

As part of the Highway 16 Transportation Action Plan, two new bus routes began running the week of June 19, 2017. 

June is National Aboriginal History Month and June 21st is National Indigenous Peoples Day (National Aboriginal Day), with many opportunities to celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding achievements of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in Canada. 

On May 16-17, 2017, Indigenous Health hosted the fourth annual Aboriginal Health Improvement Committee (AHIC) Gathering in Prince George.

On July 1st this year, the country of Canada marks 150 years since Confederation. For many, Canada Day is an opportunity to celebrate being Canadian and all that means for them. For others, it ignores the truth of colonialism and erases the 15,000 years of Indigenous history on this continent. 

This webinar was hosted live on April 25, 2017. It is the second webinar in a series that will introduce each of the eight Aboriginal Health Improvement Committees (AHICs) undertaking innovative collaborative work across northern BC to support improved health and wellness with Indigen

Join members of Northern Health's newly branded Indigenous Health team and local FNHA partners for an installment of the First Nations Health Authority and BC Patient Safety & Quality Council Cultural Humility Webinar Series.

The Northern Health Indigenous Health team developed several resources to support Indigenous people in accessing and navigating the health-care system.

In October 2016, all employees were invited to self-identify as Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal. This initiative will help us measure how well the NH workforce reflects the communities of northern BC and any changes over time. 

On March 1, 2017, twenty-three health regulatory bodies in BC signed the Declaration of Commitment to Cultural Safety and Humility, joining all health authorities in BC who signed the Declaration in July 2015, and becoming the first health professionals  in Canada to make the pledge.

In June 2016, the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) initiated a social media campaign to engage people throughout the Health Authorities in making a commitment to advance

This webinar was hosted live on January 25, 2017. It is the first webinar in a series that will introduce each of the eight Aboriginal Health Improvement Committees (AHICs) undertaking innovative collaborative work across northern BC to support improved health and wellness with Indigenous people and communities.

This article was originally published by the First Nations Drum, Canada's largest First Nations newspaper, in the January 2017 edition on page 27.

The Aboriginal Health team has changed our name to Indigenous Health. We are excited to make this change that reflects evolving contexts and new relationships. Updating our name and all that goes with it will be a big job, so please be patient with us as we begin to make this change.   

Northern Health (NH) is a vibrant part of communities across the North. When people come to seek health services, we want them to see their community reflected in the workforce. A workforce that reflects the local community supports a culturally safe health system for everyone.

Margo Greenwood, Vice President of Aboriginal Health, was recently appointed to the Health Innovation Advisory Board for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

Margo Greenwood, Vice President of Aboriginal Health, is a co-investigator on a project based at the University of Victoria. The project is developing an electronic reporting system called GlobalChild.

In the spring of 2016, the Northern First Nations Health Partnership Committee launched an exciting new awards initiative to support Indigenous students in northern BC pursuing a health-related discipline.

This summer, the First Nations Health Authority initiated a social media campaign to engage people throughout the Health Authorities in a commitment to advance cult

On June 15, 2016, an announcement was made at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park by local and provincial government representatives about the progress made on implementing the Highway 16 Tra

In July 2015, all Health Authority CEOs in BC signed a Declaration of Commitment to advancing cultural humility and cultural safety within their organizations.

The third annual gathering of Aboriginal Health Improvement Committees was held in Prince George on May 17-18, 2016. It was an exciting two days of celebration, sharing, learning, relationship building, action planning, and visioning for the future.

In response to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruling on First Nations children, the Government of Canada announced a new approach to

The North Coast Aboriginal Health Improvement Committee is pleased to launch a new video titled: Honouring Our Journey.

On January 26, 2016, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruled that the federal government discriminates against First Nations children by providing flawed and inequitable child welfare services compared to that available to other children.

On March 22, 2016, the federal government tabled its first budget, which “proposed to invest $8.4 billion over five years [...] to improve the socioeconomic conditions of Indigenous Peoples and their communities and bring about transformational change.” Areas of investment incl

The Aboriginal Health department was excited to launch a survey on December 1, 2015 to learn about what we can do to support Northern Health employees provide quality, culturally safe health care for First Nations and Aboriginal people and families. 

In northern BC, Highway 16 from Prince George to Prince Rupert is known as the Highway of Tears because of the high number of women, mostly Indigenous, who have gone missing along it. An RCMP investigation identified 18 women and girls who went missing or were murdered along Highway 16 and the nearby highways 97 and 5 since 1969.

On December 8, 2015, the Government of Canada announced a national inquiry into the high number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls across the country.

Indian Residential Schools (IRS) are part of Canada’s history that is not well known or understood by many. Indian Residential Schools were created to separate Aboriginal children from their families in order to minimize and weaken family ties and cultural linkages, and to indoctrinate children into Euro-Christian Canadian society.

A new book, Determinants of Indigenous Health in Canada: Beyond the Social, edited by Drs.

Health care in BC has just celebrated a unique milestone! October 1st marked the two-year anniversary of the transfer of health services from Health Canada to the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA).

In 2005, Northern Health initiated several Aboriginal Health Improvement Committees (AHICs)  that bring together local health leaders and community members from diverse sectors across the North.

Over 2,000 people arrive in Prince Rupert every year to take part in the All Native Basketball Tournament. This year’s tournament was held February 8 - 14th and approximately 60 teams competed in four divisions: men’s intermediate, men’s seniors, men’s masters and women’s division (open). 

On February 24, Aboriginal Health participated in a webinar called Partnering for Change: Building new relationships for the health and well-being of northern First Nations people and communities.

Daryl Petsul manages the medicine and maternity departments at GR Baker Memorial Hospital in Quesnel. He supervises over 80 full-time and casual staff, 85% of who have completed the Indigenous Cultural Competency training course offered through PHSA.

Aboriginal Health was invited to participate in a project with key collaborators from UNBC and the First Nations Health Authority about the use of storytelling and narrative in relation to health and well-being in northern British Columbia.

The All Native Basketball Tournament is an annual celebration of sport, community and culture that is hosted in Prince Rupert. This year the tournament will be February 8 to 14. Northern Health is proud to have been a sponsor since 2002.

Northern Health’s Aboriginal Health Initiative Program (AHIP) is a granting program that began in 2002. Through these short-term grants, we support First Nations and Aboriginal communities and organizations in their work of improving health for First Nations and Aboriginal people. 

Through Aboriginal Health Improvement Committees (AHICs), Aboriginal Health is investing in mapping, a collaborative learning process with First Nations and Aboriginal communities and organizations, to better understand service gaps and opportunities for improvement in First Nations and Aboriginal patient experie