Nurses discuss best practices in health protection and network with colleagues from across BC.

Nurses form a circle to join Syexwaliya, Ann Whonnock, in song on the final day of the conference.

On February 6-8, 100 nurses who work with First Nations communities gathered in Vancouver for the 2018 Communicable Disease Conference, organized by the FNHA Health Protection team.

This year's theme, "Nurses' Circles – Wisdom, Teachings & Stories from Indigenous Communities," speaks to the value of bringing nurses and other community members together to share the breadth of knowledge available within our communities and circles of care. The conference offers opportunities for nurses from across BC to network, share their wisdom and learn from traditional knowledge keepers and leaders from the nursing field.

On day one, FNHA Elder Advisor Syexwaliya (Ann Whonnock), of Squamish Nation, welcomed all attendees to the territory in a good way with storytelling and song. After her opening, Syexwaliya invited the Health Protection team to join her in singing the Coast Salish Anthem, along with any other nurses who knew it, to ground the three days' work in culture.

Following the Coast Salish Anthem, Dr. Becky Palmer, FNHA CNO, provided welcome notes to the group. Becky spoke to the value of nurses' experiences and the importance of community-driven, Nation-based approaches to nursing practice. "If [community] is at the very centre of all of our work," she noted, "then we can't go wrong." 

Acting CMO Dr. Shannon McDonald delivers her keynote speech.

The first morning also included a keynote from Dr. Shannon McDonald, FNHA Acting CMO, who provided an overview on the CMO's role, FNHA's focus on moving from a sickness-based system to a wellness-based system, and a brief look at the idea of "two-eyed seeing"—the concept of combining western and Indigenous concepts of healing and medicine for the best wellness outcomes. Dr. McDonald also spoke on the urgency of the opioid public health emergency, and shifting our thinking about overdose. "These are accidental poisonings," she said, marking one of the most notable quotes of the conference.  

The rest of the three busy days included a wide range of sessions to support the nurses' learning and development, with a particular focus on disease prevention and health promotion. Sessions included talks on TB Diagnosis and Treatment, Decolonizing Gender, Doctors Without Borders, Communicable Disease management, and Vaccinating Against Pain, in addition to a number of session led by FNHA teams on topics such as Indigenizing Harm Reduction, Immunization Coverage Surveillance, and Cultural Safety and Humility—among many others.

Ed Walkus of Port Hardy, a two-time TB survivor, shared his story with attendees.

Conference evaluations were very positive overall, indicating that nurses gained valuable experience and understanding in key knowledge areas. Using clicker technology, 85% of respondents said that they "intend to incorporate knowledge gained related to cultural safety and humility through this conference into my practice."

Some of the written feedback included:

• "Ed – WoW! Amazing so great he was able to share his story."

• "I learned…how to decrease immunization pain."

• "I learned…who are my resources and how does it work for CD follow-up in my area."

• "The importance of discussing gender equality and decolonizing gender and making it a safe and accessible topic."

• "Cultural safety and humility – definitely a new perspective."

• "Thank you for the prayers/songs/energy, opportunity to grow and learn."

On the final day, April MacNaughton, Manager, Health Protection, and Syexwaliya led an honouring for all conference participants to celebrate their hard work and accomplishments. As part of the ceremony, Syexwaliya invited the nurses to form a large circle, mirroring the conference theme, and shared teachings on the significance of the circle: in a circle, like at birth, no one is higher or lower than anyone else, she noted. Everyone is the same.

With the room standing together, Syexwaliya closed the conference with song. Finally, April and her team gifted all the participants with sage bundles that had been gathered by hand by the Health Protection team. Nurses left, lifted up and ready to return to community, with new skills and new connections to support them in their work.

Each nurse was gifted hand-bundled sage.