The Annual Report of the Tripartite Committee on First Nations Health (TCFNH) describes and celebrates the remarkable achievements of regional and community partners who have been instrumental in driving these TCFNH strategic priorities:
- Cultural Safety and Humility
- Mental Health and Wellness
- Joint British Columbia (BC) First Nations/Ministry of Health Project Board
- Evaluation of the Tripartite Framework Agreement on First Nation Health Governance
- Indigenous Cancer Strategy
- Maternal-Child Health
The TCFNH was established in 2011 as part of the BC Tripartite Framework Agreement on First Nation Health Governance (the Framework Agreement). As committee members, senior leaders of First Nations, federal and provincial governments fulfill a collective mandate to improve planning, delivery and evaluation of health services for First Nations in BC.
The latest Annual Report covers April 2019 to March 2020.
Some Report Highlights
From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tripartite partners worked diligently with the Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), regional health authorities and other health system partners to respond and mitigate the impacts of the crisis in BC.
The First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) continued to strengthen its relationship with Emergency Management BC (EMBC) and other partners to integrate First Nations emergency management within the broader emergency management approaches in BC.
Cultural safety and humility remain a priority for the partners. In 2019, Indigenous Service Canada, Health Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada and the FNHA signed a Declaration of Commitment to Advance Cultural Safety and Humility in Health and Wellness Services in British Columbia with a joint action plan developed.
Cultural safety was also a focus in the development of the provincial primary care strategy, to advance the successful design and delivery of culturally safe and appropriate health services to Indigenous peoples across the province. In September 2019, the Ministry of Health and the FNHA released the Indigenous Engagement and Cultural Safety Guidebook: A Resource for Primary Care Networks with other health system partners.
Progress in mental health and wellness continues through tripartite efforts and partnerships with other health governance partners, including the implementation of investments, expansion of land-based healing sites at the community, Nation, sub-regional and provincial levels; ongoing transformation of the treatment centre model to a healing centre model; and supporting Nation-developed mental health and wellness planning projects and initiatives.
An evaluation of the Framework Agreement was released in January 2020 and provides evidence-based information to help guide and influence TCFNH's work over the next five years. The evaluation and associated reports can be found on the FNHA Annual Reports web page.
