The Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), through the Institute for Indigenous People’s Health (IIPH), announced funding to design an evaluation of emergency care solutions for four Nuu-chah-nulth Indigenous communities in BC.
Emergency care is not adequate for many Indigenous communities in Canada. Many communities are far from hospital care. Many have only spotty nurse or physician care, if any at all. They tell stories of difficulty moving patients to hospitals during bad weather, no available boats or helicopters, unavailable responders with adequate training, no cell service, and a community unprepared to provide help to community first responders.
The BC Emergency Medicine Network is partnering with Nuu-chah-nulth tribal council and community members, researchers, government, the First Nations Health Authority, and other health service organizations to design and evaluate solutions to address these problems head on. The project will focus on four Nuu-chah-nulth communities living on Vancouver Island, Tla-o-qui-aht, Ahousaht, Hesquiaht and Kyuquot.