At the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA), we ground wellness in the teachings of our ancestors and the lived experiences of our people. We see health and wellness as wholistic—caring for our mind, body, emotions, and spirit—and we promote and support programs and services that strengthen wellness through our relationships with culture, community, family, and the land.
Specifically, we advance a Two‑Eyed Seeing approach in our work to improve healthcare programs, services, and health outcomes for First Nations people in BC. Two‑Eyed Seeing acknowledges that First Nations methods, medicines, and models of healing are not supplementary to mainstream medicine but equally valid. It creates space for First Nations people to be true partners in our own circle of care and reclaims cultural knowledge as a guiding force.
As we mark World Health Day on April 7, and note this year's theme, "Together for Health, Stand with Science," we do so from a Two-Eyed Seeing foundation, knowing we have a collective responsibility to honour health and wellness perspectives that create equitable and effective care outcomes for First Nations people.
Before colonization, our people lived in systems of care shaped by cultural practices, medicines, ceremonies, and deep connections with our lands. The FNHA works to reclaim and support these knowledge systems, which were disrupted by colonial policies that attempted to erase First Nations people's ways of life and that continue to be felt today.
Not only has the exclusion of First Nations healers, knowledge and healing practices had lasting impacts on our communities, but many First Nations people still encounter barriers when seeking care and it is well documented that racism can be a part of health system structures.
On World Health Day, we honour the wisdom and teachings that have guided our people since time immemorial. Standing together for health means creating a future where First Nations people see ourselves represented in care that reflects who we are, where we come from, and how we understand wellness.
