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Urban Aboriginal Community Vision for Health and Wellness by 2060
“We see an urban community where members honour and practice their distinct cultures and traditions. Respect for others and shared laughter enriches all community gatherings and celebrations. People take pride in their culturally rich, open, and clean neighborhoods that are free from alcohol, drugs, crime, and violence.
We see a time when women and men are confident in their strengths and skills and are continually learning. Youth and adults are involved in all fields of work and act as positive role models. Children are healthy and happy and are trained and educated in both traditional and non-traditional ways. Elders continue their important role in passing on traditional wisdom, beliefs, and practices. Together, stable extended families lead addiction and violence free lives and know they can easily satisfy their basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter.
People are aware that health and wellness comes from making wise life-style choices. When needed, personal choices for care include traditional healing ways and mainstream systems of care. Within this caring community, a culturally based healing center maintains connections with the earth to cleanse, heal, and bring peace to all in need.”
Aboriginal Health Services, Vancouver Community
It is the goal of Aboriginal Health Services to identify and develop ways to support the implementation of the urban Aboriginal community vision for health and wellness.
To accomplish this goal the vision for Aboriginal Health Services is to develop an integrated continuum of care that reflects the needs and supports the wellness of the urban Aboriginal population in a culturally safe and holistic way. The initial focus for development is in the primary care service sector – the first points of access to health services.
A long-term goal of Aboriginal Health Services is to develop an urban Aboriginal Healing Centre that will deliver holistic, culturally safe health care services. This facility will provide a central access point for receiving health care services as well as providing referral to and liaison with other types of care. We have begun the development of programming that will eventually be located in the healing centre. Based on community-identified priorities, Aboriginal Health Services has developed the Aboriginal Wellness Program, a culturally based addiction and mental wellness counseling service. Click here to find out more about the Aboriginal Wellness Program.
Eighty-five percent (85%) of Aboriginal Health Services programming is currently carried out through contracts with a variety of Aboriginal community non-profit organizations. A goal of Aboriginal Health Services is to strengthen the continuum of care that these organizations provide. Click here for a description of these Vancouver Contracted Services.
Vancouver Community has 6 community health centers (CHC) that provide health services across the city of Vancouver. A goal of Aboriginal Health Services is to increase the points of access into health services for Aboriginal people. To help with this, Aboriginal Health Services provides cross-cultural education services to the CHC staff in order to help them understand current Aboriginal health issues and what has led to their poor health. One part of this work is also to help Aboriginal community members know what health services are provided at our Community Health Centres. Although at the very early stages of development, another approach that Aboriginal Health Services is working towards is to develop Aboriginal specific programming at the CHC’s that Aboriginal people attend frequently. Click here to search for Community Health Centre in your area of the city on the VCH web site.
Aboriginal people enter the hospital at high rates, often with complications from illnesses that could be well managed by community health care providers. Emergency rooms can also be a source of primary care for less serious illness and injury that could be cared for in community health care settings. Aboriginal Health Services is involved in research to look at how to help link Aboriginal community members with health services in the community that provide quality care before illness becomes severe enough to require hospitalization. Click here to view a list of Reports & Publications related to Aboriginal Health issues.