Session 4(a): Promoting Indigenous Health Equity: Innovation, Data Sovereignty, and Community-Led Approaches
October 23rd, 2:05pm - 3:05pm | Virtual, link to come
This session will feature a series of oral presentations highlighting current research, evaluation and quality improvement projects. Each speaker will have 15 minutes to share their work, followed by 5 minutes for questions and discussion. Join us to hear in-depth presentations, gain new insights, and engage directly with presenters during the Q&A.
PRESENTATIONS:
- Title: Barriers and Facilitators to the Uptake of Prescribed Safer Supply at Carrier Sekani Family Services
- Speaker: Patty Wilson
- Description: This study explored healthcare providers’ perspectives on implementing prescribed safer supply (PSS) in First Nations-governed, rural, and remote communities in Northern BC. Findings highlighted structural constraints, social opposition, moral dilemmas, and knowledge-sharing challenges, as well as values-based alignment and collaborative team dynamics as facilitators. Addressing these barriers and building on identified strengths could support greater adoption of PSS in these settings.
- Title: Kaa-Wiichihitoyaahk: We Take Care of Each Other
- Speaker: Alexanne Dick, Eva Habib
- Description: This presentation highlights the collaborative development of the Métis Health and Wellness Plan, a five-year roadmap co-created by Métis Nation British Columbia and Northern Health. Grounded in Métis voices and cultural wellness, the plan identifies priorities such as cultural safety education, services rooted in Métis perspectives, and improved patient experience. Attendees will learn how this partnership is advancing equity, accountability, and access to care for Métis individuals, families, and Chartered Communities across Northern BC.
- Title: Opportunities to Enhance Indigenous Data Sovereignty: Lessons from the Introduction of Molecular Diagnostics in First Nation Communities during the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Speaker: Jennifer Cochrane
- Description: This presentation explores how community-operated molecular diagnostic instruments, introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, supported First Nation data sovereignty and Nation-based health governance in rural and remote BC. Guided by Indigenous methodologies and community voices, the research highlights how diagnostics served not only as clinical tools but also as instruments of sovereignty, enabling culturally grounded, self-determined public health responses. Findings emphasize the need for ongoing investment in adaptable technologies and place-based systems that align with Indigenous leadership, knowledge, and jurisdiction.