​​What you need to know about accessing HIV prevention drug PrEP in BC

A message from Dr. Evan Adams CMO

As of January 1, 2018, a powerful drug treatment, PrEP, that can prevent HIV infection became available free of cost to British Columbians who are deemed to be at risk for contracting HIV. High-risk groups include men and transwomen who have sex with men, people who inject drugs, and people who have unprotected sex with those living with HIV.  Today the Province of BC announced that over 2,000 people have benefitted from this coverage.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has been available to status First Nations people who are deemed to be at high risk of HIV infection for years. Yet very few First Nations people are taking PrEP.

Read the full message here!

On June 29 the Skeetchestn Band and community celebrated a highly anticipated ground breaking ceremony on the site of a proposed new Health and Wellness Centre. Attendees included community members, Chief and council, health staff and the First Nations Health Authority.

"The health centre is key to attaining our community's vision of ensuring a healthy community in which especially our Elders and youth will have culturally sensitive and timely health care without leaving home," said Skeetchestn Chief Ron Ignace.

Read the news release here.

A message from Dr. Nel Wieman​, Senior Medical Officer, Mental Health & Wellness

The legalization of non-medical cannabis in Canada is happening October 17, 2018 and we at the FNHA want to provide you with as much information as possible so you can make the best and safest choices for yourself and your family members.

During a recent webinar about the legalization of non-medical cannabis, we heard that people want to know more about two important areas of concern related to cannabis use: 1) the risks to moms and babies through prenatal exposure and, 2) the risks to mental health, especially youth.

Let's talk about moms and babies first.

Read this important message here.

From April 24-26, political and health leads, Elders, youth and regional staff gathered in Vancouver for the Vancouver Coastal Regional Caucus. Five Chiefs, 18 technical health leads, and eight proxies attended the forum for discussions on health service updates and transformation, ongoing partnerships, and governance.

Coordination lead for the Coastal Wolfpack and member of the Musqueam Nation Alec Dan provided a welcome to the territory and song to acknowledge the honoured guests and the important work they had to do.

Read the full caucus overview here!

Decolonizing Addiction through Indigenous Harm Reduction

On June 5-7, the Indigenous Wellness Team hosted a Not Just Naloxone training session on Snuneymuxw territory in Nanaimo. Over 20 participants were on hand to build on their skills and knowledge around substance-use and overdose prevention, as well as share their wisdom with attendees and staff in the room for the benefit of their communities.

"The facilitators are perfect…it's hard work and they're willing to help. So why not take the training? We need more people to be aware of this," said Milly Price, who was attending from the Kwakiutl District Council. "The Indigenous Harm Reduction training is so awesome going back to community, because it's our approach as opposed to the Western approach. It's really important that we continue to do this work."

Read the full overview here

FNHA and the National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health (NCCAH) are seeking photographs of First Nations and Métis families in BC to be included in four early childhood development and health promotion booklets for Indigenous families.

We will provide a $20.00 honorarium for each photograph accepted and used in the booklets.

Guidelines for submission

Photographic submissions can only be accepted if they are submitted by the photographer of the photo. They must show positive and safe parenting practices, such as breastfeeding, putting babies to sleep on their backs, etc. They must be submitted in a high resolution jpg format and include a signed permission form for each person in the photograph. In the case of persons under the age of 18 years, the permission form must be signed by the parent or legal guardian of those individuals.

Send submissions via email to Roberta Stout (NCCAH) at roberta.stout@unbc.ca

Find out more here.

Join the Medicine Collective, a group of Indigenous Elders and Knowledge-Keepers, who share traditional teachings for a series of workshops at the UBC Farm. Held in partnership with the Indigenous Research Partnerships in the Faculty of Land and Food Systems and the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at the UBC Farm.

Workshop Dates:

Salve Making 1
July 10th
11am-1:30pm

Cold immune tea blend & harvest
Saturday - Aug 11th
8:30am-10:30am

Salve Making 2
Aug 8th
11am-1:30pm

Relax tea blend & harvest
Saturday - July 28th
8:30am-10:30am

Tobacco Mix
Saturday - Oct 6th
10:30am-12:30am

To find out more information or RSVP contact: xʷc̓ic̓əsəm Garden: Indigenous Health
Research & Education Garden (IHREG) @ Indigenousgardenlfs.irp@ubc.ca

Director - Procurement, Contracting and Funding Arrangements
Location: Vancouver
Deadline: Friday July 6, 2018

Health Benefits Assessor (Term) Corporate Office
Location: Vancouver
Deadline: Tuesday, July 3, 2018 at 4:00 p.m.

Manager, Travel and Events
Location: West Vancouver
Deadline: Sunday, July 15, 2018 at 4:00 p.m.

Manager, First Nations Health Benefits Operations
Location: Vancouver
Deadline: Tuesday, July 10, 2018 at 4:00 p.m.

Benefits Support Representative, CPST (Term)
Location: Vancouver
Deadline: Tuesday, July 10, 2018 at 4:00 p.m.

Policy Analyst
Location: Interior
Deadline: Cawston July 10, 2018 at 4:00 p.m.

Regional Project Developer
Location: Fraser Region (Matsqui)
Deadline: July 12, 2018 at 4:00pm

Regional Addictions Specialist
Location: Vancouver Island
Deadline: July 15, 2018 at 4:00p.m.

Find all our job postings on our website here.

Executive Assistant
Organization: Three Corners Health Service Society
Location(s): Williams Lake B.C.
Deadline: Jul 11, 2018 by 4:00 PM
Job description

Social Development Manager
Organization: Katzie First Nation
Location(s): Katzie First Nation
Deadline: Jul 4, 2018 by 4:00 PM
Job description

Indigenous Domestic Violence Program - Counsellor/Educator
Organization: Fraser Valley Aboriginal Friendship Center Association
Location(s): Surrey BC
Deadline: Open Until Filled
Job description

Mental Health and Addictions Services Clinician
Organization: Kwakiutl Health Centre
Location(s): Port Hardy
Deadline: Open Until Filled
Job description