New plan outlines priorities for strengthening Traditional Wellness across FNHA
FNHA has released a Traditional Wellness Framework Implementation Plan, which we will use as a guide to advance, revitalize and strengthen Traditional Wellness across all aspects of the organization while respecting First Nations self-determination and Nation-based approaches. This plan will help foster cultural learning, inform the development of resources and tools to support communities, align organizational systems with community priorities, and strengthen understanding of how diverse, traditional ways can be woven into our work.
A Plan Guided by Community Wisdom
Over the course of more than a decade of regional and provincial engagement, we received guidance, feedback and clear priorities from advisory bodies including First Nations communities, Elders, leaders, Knowledge Keepers and Traditional Health and Wellness practitioners. We heard one message shared consistently: Traditional Wellness must be foundational, strengthened, supported, and meaningfully integrated throughout FNHA in a sustainable way.
This direction, along with the FNHA Traditional Wellness Strategic Framework (2014), helped shape this plan into a resource that can be adapted to the diverse cultural health and wellness needs, strategies and priorities of First Nations.
Carrying the Vision Forward
Traditional Wellness is foundational to how First Nations communities approach health care. FNHA’s role is to support those approaches and help strengthen conditions for communities to advance this work.
This Plan will help FNHA:
- Advance Traditional Wellness across FNHA.
- Support cultural learning and awareness.
- Develop resources and tools for communities.
- Align organizational practices with community priorities.
- Integrate diverse traditional approaches into health and wellness work.
This Implementation Plan reflects the collective efforts and shared responsibilities of many people, Nations, communities, Knowledge Keepers, Elders, leaders, and staff who care deeply about advancing Traditional Health and Wellness for current and future generations. This work belongs to all of us.
We raise our hands with gratitude to all those who have shared their knowledge, wisdom, guidance, and time to help bring this work forward, and to those who will continue walking alongside us as we carry this vision into the future.