Starting February, the es zúmin' Primary Care Centre (PCC) will be offering culturally relevant health-care services to First Nations people, families and elders living in Lil'wat, N'Quatqua, Samahquam, Skatin and Xa'xtsa territories.
“es zúmin' means 'to care for' in our Stl'atl'imx language," said es zúmin' Primary Care Society board president Loretta Stager in a release. “The new primary care centre is a community-driven project that came to fruition through the shared vision of our Stl'atl'imx people, and with it we can offer new services to care for our communities and families."
The es zumin PCC is part of a suite of new facilities announced by the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) in September 2024.
The PCC will deliver services out of the Pq'usnalhcw Health Centre, located at 11090 Black Bear Road, and Southern Stl'atl'imx Health Society, located at 321 Ir 10 Road, with mobile and virtual services offered for N'Quatqua, Samahquam, Skatin and Xa'xtsa (Douglas) community members.
At the outset, the region's PCC will be owned by the es zúmin' Primary Care Society and interim-operated by the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA). Lil'wat Health and Healing director Jessica Frank previously told Pique they're working towards having the Society run es zúmin' in full by 2027.
Recruitment for clinical and traditional roles is ongoing for PCCs across the province. Once all positions have been filled, the centre "will provide wrap-around services from an integrated and collaborative group of health-care providers, including primary care providers, traditional healers and allied health practitioners as well as administration support, leadership and clinical services," according to the release.
As Pique previously reported, the FNHA is currently looking to fill seven full-time positions at the PCC. Those postions are nurse practitioner, family physician, a clinical manager, community dietitian, physiotherapist, social worker and transportation coordinator/driver.
“We raise our hands and congratulate the Southern Stl'atl'imx leadership who have boldly led the planning, design and implementation of the es zúmin' Primary Care Centre, ensuring that their cultural practices and ways of being are the foundation of holistic health care in community," said Kim Brooks, FNHA Vice President of Regional Operations for Vancouver Coastal Region in a release.
