COAST SALISH TERRITORY (Vancouver, BC) – Today, the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) partners with the BC Patient Safety & Quality Council (BCPSQC) to launch a year-long Cultural Safety and Cultural Humility Webinar Action Series.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) recommends that the negative impacts of residential school and resulting intergenerational trauma be better understood and that training is necessary for all health professionals in providing appropriate and effective services. The aim of the series is to raise awareness and encourage learning, self-reflection and behaviour change among healthcare professionals by growing a network of allies.

Over the next year, 12 skill-building webinar events will be offered to support BC's healthcare professionals to adopt a shared-responsibility approach to enhancing cultural safety. The series kicks off today, hosted by Joe Gallagher, Chief Executive Officer of the FNHA. At this inaugural session, learners will hear the personal story of his niece Makara's legacy—and how one family's tragedy resulted in Canada's first province-wide commitment to culturally safe health services.

"Providing patient-centred care begins by understanding that each patient has a unique history, unique values and unique preferences," said Christina Krause, Executive Director of the BCPSQC. "Cultural humility and safety advance patient-centred care for First Nations and Aboriginal patients in our province by helping them feel safe when receiving care and engaging them in decisions about that care. This action series will be a resource for care providers and others who want to develop tools and skills for doing so."

This forward-looking series will support development of tools and skills for how to be effective allies for advancing cultural safety and humility. It explores what health service staff and allies can do to understand and integrate this work into their practices or interactions with First Nations and Aboriginal clients. Participants will learn how system partners are engaged in improving cultural safety for First Nations and what healthcare professionals can do to support this transformation.

"Sadly, systemic racism still exists in our province and beyond—and with it, culturally unsafe care. This Webinar Action Series is one of the many steps we and our partners are taking to address it," said Joe Gallagher, Chief Executive Officer of the FNHA. "We look forward to working together on this series that we hope will build mutual trust and respect and enable cultural safety."

Webinar participants will explore the concepts and connections between cultural humility, safety and competence in an open and safe learning environment. Future events will include presentations from various thought leaders including Dr. Evan Adams, Dr. Nadine Caron, Dr. Margo Greenwood and representatives from each regional health authority in the province.

Save the date for the next two events! NOVEMBER 2, 2016 AND DECEMBER 7, 2016.

For more information on the webinar series or cultural safety and cultural humility, visit: www.fnha.ca/culturalhumility

Media Contact:

First Nations Health Authority

604.831.4898

Media@fnha.ca

BC Patient Safety & Quality Council

Kevin Smith

Director, Communications

604.668.8213

mksmith@bcpsqc.ca