New B.C. health centre to be led by Sts’ailes First Nation
Posted March 17, 2023 10:08 pm.
Last Updated March 17, 2023 10:12 pm.
HARRISON MILLS, BRITISH COLUMBIA – A community in British Columbia’s Lower Fraser Valley is one step closer to having its own Indigenous-led health centre.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held in Harrison Mills for the planned Sts’ailes Community Care Campus, which will be owned and operated by the Sts’ailes First Nation.
“I would like to thank everyone involved in this project, from our partners at the provincial level to our neighbouring communities, for honouring their commitment to the health and well-being of our people,” said Ralph Leon, Chief of the Sts’ailes.
“Our people in our communities depend on us to do good work, and we are taking the necessary steps to make a real difference for the people living in the northern Fraser region.”
Clinic director Angela George says the facility is an opportunity to restore Indigenous ways around health and wellness while weaving it together with the best of today’s medicines.
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Health Minister Adrian Dix says the centre will have doctors and nurses as well as traditional healers and allied health professionals to provide a blend of contemporary medical care and culturally appropriate health and wellness services to Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.
“The work we are doing in Harrison Mills is making the lives of people living in B.C. better and it’s another step forward in our collective journey towards reconciliation. When it opens, the Sts’ailes Community Care Campus will provide a fully integrated blend of contemporary medical services and person-first, culturally appropriate health and wellness services to Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities and residents alike,” Dix said.
He says the project reaffirms the government’s commitment to long-standing reconciliation and collaboration with First Nations partners.
The Sts’ailes intend to begin construction of the permanent facility this year while providing some services from a temporary location in Agassiz, B.C., at their administration building.
