Vancouver Coastal Health honours its commitment to supporting the journey of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in our region. We are committed to improving the health and access to culturally safe healthcare of the Indigenous people in our region, and we recognize that we all have a contribution to make in reconciliation and healing. With this recognition comes the responsibility to ensure authentic and intentional engagement and collaboration with the Indigenous population.
VCH’s Indigenous Health team works with staff and physicians across all programs and departments to provide strategic leadership, partner collaboration and community engagement to assist VCH to become a more culturally competent and safe organization.
The team supports Vancouver Coastal Health in its commitment to:
partner with First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples
build a health system that honours the Indigenous worldview, traditional health and wellness practices and provides culturally safe services
ensure culturally safe care is provided
offer opportunities for educational workshops and learning
Indigenous Health will support and inform the calls to action in the Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report; helping to uphold and enable the United Nations Declaration of Indigenous People (UNDRIP) and the BC Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). Your Indigenous leadership team is here to collaborate and partner with all leaders across the health system to partner with the First Nations, Inuit and Métis in our region; and our partners, including Métis Nation B.C., First Nations Health Authority, First Nations Health Council, and the First Nations Health Directors Association.
| Dr. Don Wilson, Indigenous Physician Leadership – Clinical Leadership
Heiltsuk Nation
Member of the Health Authority Medical Advisory Committee (1st Indigenous Physician to be a member of this committee) He is a cultural safety developer and facilitator for physician based training Subject matter expert for other physician groups He is also a collaborator with Indigenous Women’s health and wellness Co-leadership for the Indigenous portfolio
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Dr. Toma Timothy, Indigenous Physician Leadership – Clinical Advice
Tla’amin Nation Physician leadership for the Primary Care Networks and our partnerships with the Divisions of Family Practice He is a cultural safety facilitator for physician based training Subject matter expert for other physician groups on family health and wellness Helping to develop communities of practice
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| Lori Quinn, Director Indigenous Patient Experience Team & Professional Practice
Dakota Nation Leads a multidisciplinary Indigenous Patient Experience team in acute care to support Indigenous patients in hospitals in the VCH region. Supports staff teams who care for Indigenous patients to have a culturally safe experience. Supports the Indigenous Patient Nursing POD for vaccine roll out and have been deployed to 12 clinics
Leads the Indigenous Patient Quality Liaisons (x2) who manage complaints on behalf of Indigenous patients. Lori co-leads the Emergency Department Advisory Committee on ICS – formed since Nov 2020 Connect with Lori at Lori.Quinn@vch.ca
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| Bree Beveridge, Director, Indigenous Engagement & Inclusion
Cree from the Qu'Appelle Valley region of Southern Saskatchewan Bree supports relationship building and partnerships. She convenes partners to identify culturally appropriate solutions; community engagement and inclusion. Bree also provides subject matter expertise on Indigenous perspectives with all VCH partners across the region. Current projects include: Supporting the creation of 5 new frontline positions serving Nation members
COVID 19 pandemic and emergency response Indigenous-focused vaccine campaign
Supporting Indigenous focused hires Partnership with Community Engagement team Connect with Bree at Bree.Beveridege@vch.ca
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| Janice Wardrop, Director, Indigenous Cultural Safety & Education
Squamish Nation Janice is implementing a renewed vision and innovative strategy which begins with continued system-wide ICS education and capacity-building She is expanding strength and capacity with the implementation of cultural humility as a foundation to a good and safe practice She develops cultural safety and humility best practices using a variety of strategies including Nation collaboration and pilot project Janice honours the contribution of Elders and Knowledge Keepers by continuing to support and expand our Elders Advisory and Elder-in-Residence program Connect with Janice at Janice.Wardrop@vch.ca
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| Brittany Bingham, Director Indigenous Research & Evaluation
shíshálh Nation Works with multiple research partners to collaborate on research projects, develop funding streams for Indigenous research, mentor Indigenous students and conduct cultural safety education for research.
Current projects: Urban Indigenous COVID-19 response (MSFHR) Access to sexual and reproductive health services among Indigenous women, children and gender diverse people (CIHR) Indigenous Cultural Safety in the Emergency Department (VF) Decolonizing health research education development (CGSHE- VCH) Connect with Brittany at Brittany.Bingham@vch.ca
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| Tiffany Creyke, Director Indigenous Design & Projects
Talhtan Nation Tiffany sets a new overall direction intended to inform the design of all major capital projects in the VCH region including, owned, operated and affiliated builds
Replacement and rejuvenation design that supports systemic wellbeing through authentically enriched design processes that foster the knowledge systems of the Indigenous community as integral to the design
Tiffany engages Indigenous community representatives as stakeholders in the planning of each project, during each design phase
Connect with Tiffany at Tiffany.Creyke@vch.ca
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Indigenous Health will support and inform the calls to action in the Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report; helping to uphold and enable the United Nations Declaration of Indigenous People (UNDRIP) and the BC Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). Your Indigenous leadership team is here to collaborate and partner with all leaders across the health system to partner with the First Nations, Inuit and Métis in our region; and our partners, including Métis Nation B.C., First Nations Health Authority, First Nations Health Council, and the First Nations Health Directors Association.
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Dr. Don Wilson, Indigenous Physician Leadership – Clinical Leadership
Heiltsuk Nation
Member of the Health Authority Medical Advisory Committee (1st Indigenous Physician to be a member of this committee) He is a cultural safety developer and facilitator for physician based training Subject matter expert for other physician groups He is also a collaborator with Indigenous Women’s health and wellness Co-leadership for the Indigenous portfolio
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Dr. Toma Timothy, Indigenous Physician Leadership – Clinical Advice
Tla’amin Nation Physician leadership for the Primary Care Networks and our partnerships with the Divisions of Family Practice He is a cultural safety facilitator for physician based training Subject matter expert for other physician groups on family health and wellness Helping to develop communities of practice
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Lori Quinn, Director Indigenous Patient Experience Team & Professional Practice
Dakota Nation Leads a multidisciplinary Indigenous Patient Experience team in acute care to support Indigenous patients in hospitals in the VCH region. Supports staff teams who care for Indigenous patients to have a culturally safe experience. Supports the Indigenous Patient Nursing POD for vaccine roll out and have been deployed to 12 clinics
Leads the Indigenous Patient Quality Liaisons (x2) who manage complaints on behalf of Indigenous patients. Lori co-leads the Emergency Department Advisory Committee on ICS – formed since Nov 2020 Connect with Lori at Lori.Quinn@vch.ca
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Bree Beveridge, Director, Indigenous Engagement & Inclusion
Cree from the Qu'Appelle Valley region of Southern Saskatchewan
Bree supports relationship building and partnerships. She convenes partners to identify culturally appropriate solutions; community engagement and inclusion. Bree also provides subject matter expertise on Indigenous perspectives with all VCH partners across the region.
Current projects include: Supporting the creation of 5 new frontline positions serving Nation members
COVID 19 pandemic and emergency response Indigenous-focused vaccine campaign
Supporting Indigenous focused hires Partnership with Community Engagement team
Connect with Bree at Bree.Beveridege@vch.ca
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Janice Wardrop, Director, Indigenous Cultural Safety & Education
Squamish Nation Janice is implementing a renewed vision and innovative strategy which begins with continued system-wide ICS education and capacity-building She is expanding strength and capacity with the implementation of cultural humility as a foundation to a good and safe practice She develops cultural safety and humility best practices using a variety of strategies including Nation collaboration and pilot project Janice honours the contribution of Elders and Knowledge Keepers by continuing to support and expand our Elders Advisory and Elder-in-Residence program Connect with Janice at Janice.Wardrop@vch.ca
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Brittany Bingham, Director Indigenous Research & Evaluation
shíshálh Nation Works with multiple research partners to collaborate on research projects, develop funding streams for Indigenous research, mentor Indigenous students and conduct cultural safety education for research.
Current projects: Urban Indigenous COVID-19 response (MSFHR) Access to sexual and reproductive health services among Indigenous women, children and gender diverse people (CIHR) Indigenous Cultural Safety in the Emergency Department (VF) Decolonizing health research education development (CGSHE- VCH) Connect with Brittany at Brittany.Bingham@vch.ca
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Tiffany Creyke, Director Indigenous Design & Projects
Talhtan Nation Tiffany sets a new overall direction intended to inform the design of all major capital projects in the VCH region including, owned, operated and affiliated builds
Replacement and rejuvenation design that supports systemic wellbeing through authentically enriched design processes that foster the knowledge systems of the Indigenous community as integral to the design
Tiffany engages Indigenous community representatives as stakeholders in the planning of each project, during each design phase
Connect with Tiffany at Tiffany.Creyke@vch.ca
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First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) is the first and only provincial First Nations health authority in Canada and is working to transform and reform the way health care is delivered to BC First Nations. The VCH Indigenous Health team collaborates, coordinates and integrates their health programs and services with FNHA to achieve better health outcomes for BC First Nations.
To contact Indigenous Health, email aboriginalhealth@vch.ca.
For more information on how to submit a patient complaint, please see the Indigenous Health Complaints Process.
Follow Indigenous Health on social media:
IH will support and inform the calls to action in the Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report; helping to uphold and enable the United Nations Declaration of Indigenous People (UNDRIP) and the BC Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). ur Indigenous leadership team is here to collaborate and partner with all leaders across the health system to partner with the First Nations, Inuit and Métis in our region; and our partners, including Métis Nation B.C., First Nations Health Authority, First Nations Health Council, and the First Nations Health Directors Association.
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Shannon McCarthy, Interim Executive Director, Director, Indigenous Mental Health & Wellness
Ally
As Executive Director, Shannon engages with partners and stakeholders to enact anti-racism system transformation within VCH
The focus of this work:
To provide leadership in building strong partnerships and working closely with Indigenous peoples and communities to ensure mental wellness and substance use strategies, services, and actions across VCH, reflect individual, family and community needs for Indigenous people.
To ensure these services and actions are in alignment with the VCH Aboriginal/Indigenous Health Strategic Plan, Truth and Reconciliation recommendations, the First Nations Health Plan, the Tri-partite Health plan, as well as the In Plain Sight recommendations and others. Connect with Shannon at
Shannon.McCarthy@vch.ca
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Lori Quinn, Director Indigenous Patient Experience Team & Professional Practice
Dakota
Nation The focus of this work is to: Lead a multidisciplinary team in acute care to support Indigenous patients in hospitals in the VCH region. Support staff teams who care for Indigenous patients to have a culturally safe experience. Connect with Lori at
Lori.Quinn@vch.ca
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Bree
Beveridge, Director, Indigenous Engagement & Inclusion
Cree from the Qu'Appelle Valley region of Southern Saskatchewan
The focus of this work is to: Bridge conventional medical thinking and Indigenous perspectives to provide innovative solutions that support stronger relationships, better health care experiences, and improved wellness. Support relationship building and partnerships. Bring together diverse partners and identify innovative and culturally appropriate solutions. Embed Indigenous perspectives across VCH. Connect with Bree at
Bree.Beveridege@vch.ca
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Janice Wardrop, Director, Indigenous Cultural Safety & Education
Squamish Nation The focus of this work: To implement a renewed vision and strategy which begins with continued system-wide ICS education. Expand strength and capacity with the implementation of cultural humility as a foundation to good and safe practice. Develop best practices and leading strategies through collaboration, pilot projects and partnerships. Currently in the envisioning and planning stages of opening our own Indigenous cultural safety training facility. Connect with Janice at
Janice.Wardrop@vch.ca
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Brittany Bingham, Director Indigenous Research & Evaluation
shíshálh Nation The focus of this work is: Urban Indigenous COVID-19 response (MSFHR) Access to sexual and reproductive health services among Indigenous women, children & gender diverse people (CIHR) Indigenous Cultural Safety in the Emergency Department (VF) Decolonizing health research education development (CGSHE-VCH) Connect with Brittany at
Brittany.Bingham@vch.ca
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Tiffany Creyke, Director Indigenous Design & Projects
Talhtan Nation The focus of this work is:
To set a new overall direction intended to inform the design of all major capital projects in the VCH region including, owned, operated and affiliated builds. Replacement and rejuvenation design that supports systemic wellbeing through authentically enriched design processes that foster the knowledge systems of the Indigenous community as integral to the design. Engagement of the Indigenous community representatives as stakeholders in the planning of each project, during each design phase. Connect with Tiffany at Tiffany.Creyke@vch.ca
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