FNHA Medical Transportation Bulletin
December 2024

Welcome! Wytkp! Gilakas’la! Shhweenustham!

We hope you enjoyed the November issue of the Journeys bulletin. Thank you for your readership as we strive to provide helpful content and updates to The First Nations Health Benefits (FNHB) Medical Transportation (MT) Benefit. We appreciate your partnership in delivering and transforming the MT Benefit.

Watch our YouTube video here to learn more about the MT transformation journey.

MT Benefit updates – effective December 2, 2024

Travel to First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) funded trauma and recovery programs:

The FNHA is committed to ensuring that Clients can access essential health and wellness supports as part of their healing journeys. To support this goal, FNHB is expanding the MT Benefit to include travel for Clients attending FNHA-funded trauma and recovery programs, as well as the new Orca Lelum Youth Treatment Centre.

As of December 2, 2024, the MT Benefit is expanding travel assistance to include Clients seeking care at the following trauma and recovery programs:

• Tsow-Tun-Le-Lum - Kwunatsustul trauma intensive program
• Kackaamin Family Development Centre - Rebuilding the Circle program
• Round Lake Treatment Society - Painted Turtle Lodge (Support Recovery house)
• Esk’etemc Recovery House – Letwilc Ren Semec Centre

In addition, under the “Travel to FNHA-Funded Treatment Centres for Substance Use Treatment” policy, FNHB now supports travel to the newly established Orca Lelum Youth Treatment Centre. This center offers both medically supervised withdrawal services and a live-in residential wellness program specifically designed for Indigenous youth ages 12 to 18 who are experiencing trauma and substance use challenges.

Updates to MT Benefit meal rates

In response to community feedback and our ongoing review of food costs, FNHB has increased MT Benefit meal rates. These adjustments reflect rising food costs across BC and aim to ensure Clients have access to healthy meals while receiving medical care away from home.

The updated meal rates are shown in the table below:

To further support communities in managing travel arrangements, the updated meal rates are now fully integrated into the Kucén system. Kucén streamlines the process by automatically calculating total meal payments, simplifying MT Benefit administration. Below is a snapshot from Kucén to illustrate how these changes will appear:

Please visit our Health Benefits News page for more information on the December changes. 

MT Benefits Schedule and Administrator Guide updates

The MT Benefits Schedule and MT Administrator Guide have been updated to reflect the December 2024 MT Benefit changes. An up-to-date version of the MT Benefits Schedule is available on our MT webpage. For an updated copy of the MT Administrator Guide, please contact MT Operations at transportation@fnha.ca 

Kucén: transforming MT Benefit administration

Patient Travel (PT) clerks can now experience enhanced benefit administration with Kucén (pronounced koo-hen), meaning "to wander/travel far away/abroad" in Secwepemctsin.

To support communities interested in adopting the Kucén system, the MT Project Team has established a comprehensive three-step onboarding process designed to ensure a seamless transition. This process is tailored to address the unique needs of each community, providing personalized guidance and hands-on support at every stage, from initial planning to full implementation.

About Kucén:

• No cost to communities and organizations;
• Replaces all existing MT systems;
• Provides a searchable directory for medical and travel providers;
• Automates MT log submissions to FNHBS;
• Streamlines the Exceptions process; and
• Generates reports on demand.

If your community is interested in adopting the new system, please participate in our Kucén survey or contact us at mtproject@fnha.ca.

Training for PT clerks

The MT Operations team hosts regular training sessions throughout the year. If you or any member of your community would like to attend an MT training session, please contact transportation@fnha.ca to sign up. One of our team members will contact you about training dates and next steps.

Looking forward to 2025!

2024 has been a transformative year for the MT Project, with many enhancements made to better serve our Clients. As we approach the new year, please note that FNHB MT Operations will be closed on December 25, 26 (Christmas Day and Boxing Day), and January 1 (New Year's Day). Our next edition of the Journeys Newsletter is planned for February 2025.

Wishing you a joyful holiday season and a fantastic start to the New Year!

Thank you