Wet'suwet'en Territory - The First Nations Health Authority would like to congratulate the Moricetown Band on the opening of their new health centre. The project has been many years in the making and an official opening celebration took place last month.

Moricetown is located 30 km west of Smithers and 32 km east of Hazelton, BC. The health centre has significantly reduced the need for community members to travel outside of the community for their health needs.

"The opening celebration was great, it was just jammed with people. Our community members love it, our staff is upbeat and quite happy, and it's great to now have everyone under one roof," said Ron Mitchell, Health Director with the Moricetown Health Centre. "Men's health is a concern and some men in our community haven't been seeing a doctor but now it seems like it's been picking up and more people are using the services. Locally it has cut down our need for patient travel."

Services available at the new health centre include dental, mental wellness and substance use, family counseling, NNADAP support, and a laboratory for visiting pharmacists. Other staff at the facility includes a recreation coordinator and cultural advocate, community health and home and community care nursing, as well as a speech therapist who travels to Moricetown.

"The FNHA would like to congratulate the Moricetown health team and community on their new health centre and acknowledge their good work to make this project a success," said Curt Walker, First Nations Health Authority Chief Administrative Officer. "We look forward to the stories of wellness emerging from Moricetown and the nurturing of a healthy, self-determining and vibrant community."

In the new year the Moricetown team looks forward to a new nurse practitioner and assistant working at the facility, a position created in partnership with Northern Health.