A “clinic on wheels" in Vancouver is helping to meet people where they're at, providing low-barrier, culturally safe, trauma-informed health services directly to those who need them most.

Funded partly through Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), TD Bank, Vancouver Foundation, and the FNHA's Urban and Away-from-Home (UAH) initiative, the Vancouver Aboriginal Health Society's (VAHS) Women's Mobile Primary Care (WMPC) program serves women and gender-diverse individuals in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Using the Medicine Wheel as its guiding framework, WMPC delivers wrap-around, culturally safe, trauma-informed health services to clients in a wholistic way.

“The funding has strengthened our capacity to provide wraparound care that meets women where they are - not just physically, but emotionally, culturally, and socially," says Jasheil Athalia, Program Development Manager, VAHS. “It has allowed us to walk alongside some of the most underserved members of our community in a way that uplifts both individual wellness and community belonging."

Speaking to the primary care services offered by the WMPC, Jasheil shared that the van provides wound care, Sexually Transmitted Infection testing, and taking blood samples for diagnostic testing. The advantage of the mobile unit allows clients to avoid the need of navigating multiple health care systems.

“Many of our clients face substance-use challenges or mental-health diagnoses, which create additional barriers," says Jasheil. “By bringing services directly to them, we close those gaps."

Cultural support is central to WMPC's approach. Many individuals who do not feel comfortable accessing health care in a clinical setting are drawn to the WMPC specifically for the cultural connection that is offered. Since January 2025, 138 women and Two-Spirit individuals have accessed cultural care such as smudging ceremonies, prayer ties, and traditional medicines. Clients can also join land-based wellness visits to the UBC Indigenous Gardens. The presence of cultural services continues to create a safer, more welcoming space for Indigenous clients.

“Some days people come not for a medical exam, but simply to sit with an Elder, smudge, or ask for prayer," adds Jasheil. “Our Elder and social worker even do house calls, just to pray, talk, or reconnect someone with community cultural resources. That sense of belonging and spiritual connection often opens the door to deeper healing.

Twice a month, the WMPC team goes out on the land to learn medicine-picking protocols directly from Elders. These land-based learning sessions deepen the team's understanding of sacred teachings and ensure that traditional medicines are sourced ethically and respectfully.

“We are intentional about cultural practices. We try to go and source medicines ourselves with our own hands so that we learn and understand the teachings that are sacred around these medicines. This helps to deepen our understanding of the First Nations practises and ensure that we are not tokenizing culture but offering care with genuine meaning and intention."

The UAH Funding Initiative provides grants of up to $25,000 to support the UAH population in areas of primary care, mental health and wellness, toxic drug response and addressing racism in health and wellness. Applications for 2025 initiative will open on Oct. 2.

Learn more about the UAH funding initiative here: https://www.fnha.ca/what-we-do/urban-and-away-from-home/uah-funding-initiative