Health & Wellness

Disability Resources

• BC Aboriginal Network for Disabilities Society (BCANDS)—disability services, Monthly Nutritional Supplement (MNS) program, health resources, support and information.

Sport, Physical Activity & Recreation

• ISPARC—Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity & Recreation Council
  • Community Sport Development
  • Performance Sport Programs
  • Healthy Living Activities
  • Grants & Recognition
  • Events

2SLGBTQQIA Resources (two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual)

• Trans Care BC—local groups and initiatives, books, online resources, films and academic articles.

Cancer Care

• BC Cancer—improving cancer control for Indigenous people
• Indigenous Cancer Care Counsellor
• Improving Indigenous Cancer Journeys in BC: A Road Map (2017)

Respecting Tobacco

• Tobacco Timeout Challenge—annual challenge. On May 7, quit commercial tobacco for 24 hours with hundreds of other people across BC. Enter online for the chance to win a prize for participating!

Counselling for MMIWG Impacted Individuals

Free counselling services in BC are available to survivors, family members and individuals affected by the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. People of all genders are encouraged to connect to this counselling. Individuals do not need to have status and can live on or off reserve.

This counselling program is administered by FNHA through the Health Benefits team, and counselling is offered by providers who are registered with FNHA’s Mental Health Provider List. This list is updated regularly: http://www.fnha.ca/Documents/FNHA-First-Nations-Health-Benefits-Mental-Health-Provider-List.pdf.

Individuals who would like to access counselling are encouraged to connect directly with a mental health provider from the above list to schedule an appointment. The provider directly bills FNHA, so there is no upfront cost to the individual to access counselling.

For more information about this program, visit: http://www.fnha.ca/Documents/FNHA-MMIWG-Counselling-Program-FAQs.pdf.

Please feel welcome to contact the First Nations Health Benefits team with any questions that you might have at 1-877-477-0775.

Mental Wellness & Preventing Substance Abuse

• A Path Forward: BC First Nations and Aboriginal People’s Mental Wellness and Substance Use Ten Year Plan (2013)—released by FNHA, BC Ministry of Health, Health Canada, and the Métis Nation of BC to transform systems and improve their capacity to better meet the needs of First Nations and Aboriginal people.
• First Nations Treatment Centres in BC—Haisla, Armstrong, Vanderhoof, Port Alberni, Alert Bay, Williams Lake, Dawson Creek, Lantzville, Agassiz, Kitwanga.

Suicide Awareness

Suicide is a leading cause of death among First Nation, Inuit, and Métis youth in Canada (BMC Public Health, 2018).

• Indigenous Suicide Prevention Toolkit—suicide awareness resource toolkit (Centre for Suicide Prevention, 2013).
• Hope, Help and Healing—a planning toolkit for First Nations and Aboriginal communities to prevent and respond to suicide (First Nations Health Authority, 2015).
• Together to Live—a toolkit for addressing youth suicide in your community.