By Aaron Hemens, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A new harm-reduction program in syilx homelands aims to create culturally-safe care for Indigenous people who often face stigma within the provincial health system.

knknxt蓹wix虒 (We Walk Hand in Hand) is an initiative recently launched in ki蕯lawna蕯 (Kelowna) for people living in vulnerable situations 乌鸦传媒� particularly those who use substances, are experiencing homelessness, dealing with intergenerational trauma or are working in the sex trade industry.

While outreach and helping people on the frontlines are crucial elements of the initiative, project manager Ali Butler of Lower Similkameen Indian Band said that the main focus is making change within the system itself.

She said a specific priority is decolonizing through education and relationship-building workshops with healthcare providers.

乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檓 not sure people 乌鸦传媒� the general, average Canadian 乌鸦传媒� actually really knows what it乌鸦传媒檚 like for Indigenous people to try and access culturally-safe services,乌鸦传媒� said Butler.

乌鸦传媒淎 big goal of this specific project, knknxt蓹wix虒, is increasing cultural safety. Everyone deserves access to cultural wellbeing.乌鸦传媒�

A 2020 report, 乌鸦传媒淚n Plain Sight,乌鸦传媒� examined racism against Indigenous people in the province乌鸦传媒檚 health-care system, and found that there is widespread stereotyping and discrimination towards Indigenous people in healthcare at all levels 乌鸦传媒� especially in urgent care.

At the same time, the First Nations Health Authority said in 2022 that First Nations people living in 乌鸦传媒淏.C.乌鸦传媒� are dying from toxic drugs at a rate that is five times higher than that of non-First Nations people.

Butler said that she was motivated to apply for funding for knknxt蓹wix虒 last year after seeing the results of the In Plain Sight report. It was announced late last year that the initiative received $662,433 in federal funding.

knknxt蓹wix虒 is being led by an Indigenous Harm Reduction Team (IHRT) 乌鸦传媒� which consists of Indigenous nurses, peer outreach workers, Elders and more.

乌鸦传媒淭he main goal is to deconstruct colonialism and really provide a safe place for Indigenous people to access safe healthcare,乌鸦传媒� said Crystal Smallboy of Big River Cree First Nation, who serves as an IHRT nurse with Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society (KFS).

乌鸦传媒淎 lot of the time, they have a bad relationship with the healthcare system. We乌鸦传媒檙e trying to just make that safe place for them to come to.乌鸦传媒�

The program is a collaboration between a number of local partners that include Urban Matters CCC, the PEOPLE Lived Experience Society, KFS and the City of Kelowna.

The project, which runs from January to September, is divided into three components: outreach with harm reduction services, developing a substance use day-program rooted in Indigenous worldviews, and delivering relationship-building dialogue workshops with the healthcare sector to shift service delivery and decolonize health practices.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 a starting place, really,乌鸦传媒� said Butler. 乌鸦传媒淲e are very hopeful that we乌鸦传媒檒l be able to build strong relations and sustain this project in community.乌鸦传媒�

Butler said that the relationship-building workshops will be rolled out in the next few weeks, with one of the main objectives to dismantle implicit bias against Indigenous people in the healthcare system, which she said negatively seeps into service delivery.

乌鸦传媒淭hese workshops are going to be challenging because we don乌鸦传媒檛 know where everybody is at, in terms of their knowledge and their understanding of the colonial history and genocides within Canada,乌鸦传媒� she said.

乌鸦传媒淭here are some very strong allies in community, and there are people who are just learning.乌鸦传媒�

Much of the work completed so far has been on the frontlines. IHRT frontline workers wearing red vests have been patrolling the downtown streets twice a day conducting outreach with Indigenous people in vulnerable circumstances.

In addition to food and harm-reduction supplies, the frontline workers also come equipped with an eagle feather, sage and smudge bowls, medicine ties and dried salmon. Smallboy said that by including cultural values in the outreach work, the hope is that trust is built and that a sense of belonging is created.

乌鸦传媒淎 lot of people have had some cultural experiences as a child, and it brings back good memories of that time,乌鸦传媒� said Smallboy. 乌鸦传媒淩ight away, they open up to you and trust you.乌鸦传媒�

As more outreach is conducted and relationships are formed, the next step is to build case-management for those who identify as First Nations, Inuit or Metis, Smallboy said. With a deeper case management system in place, the IHRT wants to support clientele with access to medication, social work and other low-barrier cultural programs or services.

乌鸦传媒淚 just hope that they feel that somebody cares for them,乌鸦传媒� said Smallboy. 乌鸦传媒淛ust to give them a sense of hope to try to pick themselves up, to try harder and know that someone cares enough to take care of themselves more.乌鸦传媒�

The aim is that a substance use day-program will be launched in the summer, which will offer services and programs that take people out on the land for canoeing, sweat lodges, harvesting salmon, berry picking and sage picking.

乌鸦传媒淩econnecting with culture is huge. A lot of people have been away from their culture for so long 乌鸦传媒� they don乌鸦传媒檛 even know where to begin,乌鸦传媒� said Smallboy.

While the project is still in its early stages, Butler said that she hopes that its impacts are felt across the board 乌鸦传媒� on the individual level, on systems and organizations.

乌鸦传媒淚 imagine that we will go slow and we乌鸦传媒檒l go fast. In a way, it乌鸦传媒檚 like harm reduction we want to meet people where they乌鸦传媒檙e at,乌鸦传媒� she said.

乌鸦传媒淲e need to do this walk together. I乌鸦传媒檓 really quite curious to see what the appetite is for next steps towards reconciliation.乌鸦传媒�

READ MORE: B.C. First Nation orders Trans Mountain to stop work on their land

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