Shared Territories of the Lil'wat, N'Quat'qua, Samahquam, Skatin and Xa'xtsa | MOUNT CURRIE – First Nations people, families and Elders living in Líl̓wat, N'Quatqua, Samahquam, Skatin and Xa'xtsa territories will have increased access to culturally relevant health-care services with the opening of the es zúmin' Primary Care Centre.

“es zúmin' means 'to care for' in our Stl'atl'imx language," said Loretta Stager, es zúmin' Primary Care Society Board President. “The new primary care centre is a community-driven project that came to fruition through the shared vision of our Stl'atl'imx people, and with it we can offer new services to care for our communities and families."

The es zúmin' Primary Care Centre will begin welcoming clients in February 2025, and delivering services out of the Pq'usnalhcw Health Centre and Southern Stl'atl'imx Health Society in Lil'wat, with mobile and virtual services offered for N'Quatqua, Samahquam, Skatin and Xa'xtsa (Douglas) community members. The primary care centre will be owned by the es zúmin' Primary Care Society and interim-operated by the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA).

“The es zúmin' Primary Care Centre is the second First Nations-led primary care centre to open in the Vancouver Coastal Region," said Kim Brooks, FNHA Vice President, Regional Operations, Vancouver Coastal Region. “We raise our hands and congratulate the Southern Stl'atl'imx leadership who have boldly led the planning, design and implementation of the es zúmin' Primary Care Centre, ensuring that their cultural practices and ways of being are the foundation of wholistic health care in community."

Recruitment for clinical and traditional roles is currently active in all regions of the province. Once fully staffed, the centre will provide wrap-around services from an integrated and collaborative group of health-care providers, including primary care providers, Traditional Healers and allied health practitioners as well as administration support, leadership and clinical services.

The es zúmin' Primary Care Centre is part of the Province and FNHA's First Nations-led Primary Health Care Initiative, which is intended to improve and increase access to culturally safe health services by opening 15 First Nations Primary Care Centres (FNPCCs) province-wide.​

This announcement builds on the 2019 opening of the Lu'ma Medical Centre in Vancouver, the 2022 opening of the All Nations Healing House in Williams Lake and the 2023 ground-breaking ceremony at Éyameth, formerly the Sts'ailes Community Care Campus, in Harrison Mills and the 2024 opening of the Kwakwaka'wakw First Nations Primary Care Centre on Gilford Island.​​​

Quick Facts:

• There are 14 communities, three sub-regional families and a large number of urban and away-from-home populations located in the Vancouver Coastal Region, each with their own unique cultures, traditions and geography.
• The St'át'imc^[1] Nation is made up of 11 distinct self-governing communities, including the Líl'wat Nation, a distinct Nation with linguistic, cultural, familial and political ties to the St'át'imc Nation. Five out of 11 St'át'imc communities reside within the Vancouver Coastal Region. These five southern Stl'atl'imx communities include the N'Quatqua, Samahquam, Skátin, Xa'xtsa and the Lílwat Nation.
• Once all the clinics are in operation, there will be three clinics in each of the five regional health authorities for a total of 15 FNPCCs in BC.

Recruitment for clinical and traditional roles is currently active in all regions of the FNHA. The es zúmin' Primary Care Centre will offer services as the full-time equivalent (FTE) positions are filled.​

​​To learn more about recruitment, interested applicants can find positions listed here: https://workwithus.fnha.ca/​​

To learn more a​​bout the First Nations Primary Care Initiative: First Nations-led Primary Health Care Initiative – YouTube

To read more about the First Nations Primary Care Initiative, visit: https://www.f​​nha.ca/about/news-and-events/news/improved-access-to-first-nations-led-primary-care-on-the-way-to-communities-province-wide

Media cont​​act:

First Nations He​​alth Authority
Media Relations
604 329-9544
media@fnha.ca