Nov. 14, 2017
In the isolated coastal village of Hartley Bay, BC, home of the Gitga’at First Nation, students spend a couple of minutes in the morning and after lunch brushing and flossing their teeth. Historically the results are that they have gone from being 8% to 32% cavity-free.
What debuted in the early 2000s as the Brighter Smiles program to improve children’s overall health and specifically oral health, has been revamped, expanded and restarted recently to include visits from not only pediatric dental specialists twice yearly, but pediatric medical residents 3 times a year. This year 10 residents will be in the Bay. And they are supervised by the province’s top physicians from UBC and BC Children’s Hospital (BCCH)—the Division Head of Oncology, Dr. Caron Strahlendorf, has been in community three times since the inception of the program.
The experience is eye-opening for all involved. At the Hartley Bay Nursing Station, the nurse-in-charge is Brenda Spires. She sees the new Brighter Smiles program as a win-win all around. Collaborating with BCCH/UBC staff and students, the health team focuses on community identified needs: nutrition, diabetes screening and awareness, and oral health. Parents sit down with the doctors and residents to and become more informed partners in their child’s health team.
"It’s best when services come to us," says Spires. "It can be daunting for adults to have to take their children into unfamiliar urban settings." The regular Brighter Smiles program helps to build relationships, and establishes trust and rapport. With high-speed internet, cell service and TeleHealth technology Hartley Bay enhances local service delivery.
Gitga’at Stats Territory: 7500 km2 (approx.) including land and water, mainland and islands The traditional name for Hartley Bay is Txalgiu. 145 km southeast of Prince Rupert 3.5-hour ferry ride to Prince Rupert twice a week 50-minute float plane trip to Prince Rupert (weather permitting) Population: 180 in community Lax Galts’ap (Old Town) was the traditional winter village and has one of the largest collections of petroglyphs in the world. Gitga’at is home to Spirit Bears, grey whales, bald eagles and wolves. High speed internet and full cell service is available. Cultural activities include harvesting seaweed in May and June, visits to longhouses, partaking in a Feast, and learning Tsimshian words. |
How do Vancouverites feel about working in Gitga’at territory? BCCH residents Samara Laskin and Matt Carwana have new insights: "For example, we now understand why it is challenging to arrange for children in remote communities to have weekly blood work—that can be difficult to accomplish when the nearest lab is a 4-hour ferry or a 1-hour float plane ride from the local nursing station! Additionally, as residents, we are often responsible for providing telephone advice to nursing stations in small communities. We now have a much greater understanding of what those stations look like, and the medical resources that are available."
Sometimes unintended consequences arise because of health professionals’ visits. One attending pediatrician brought his wife, an oncologist. Having met people first hand, she was able to change the course of treatment for a local patient, knowing the logistical challenges he faced. Another specialist told a patient to "message me when you get here (Vancouver)". That doctor’s friendly face was comforting in a huge city hospital, and helped reduce stress.
Gitga’at Health Director, David Benton, has a wish list: that the Brighter Smiles program be expanded to every First Nation village, and that each First Nation child in BC be seen by a pediatrician in their first year and again by age 5. David also believes that a provincial investment in a vitamin D protocol would be an inexpensive way to ensure long-term improved health outcomes. BCCH has recommended a vitamin D protocol for Hartley Bay kids.
The commitment between Gitga’at, UBC and BC Children’s Hospital was formalized by officials signing a Memorandum of Understanding on September 28, 2017 where they agreed to collaborate on this project for the next five years. After official business was over, nearly the entire community and guests shared an excellent dinner of fresh caught seafood, solidifying personal connections and community involvement over sharing traditional foods.
There is nothing quite like spending time with people in their community to truly appreciate them and to develop a deeper understanding of how to support wellness. Residents Laskin and Carwana reflected on their experience in Hartley Bay and concluded: "I have never spent any significant length of time within a First Nations community. Visiting Hartley Bay deepened our awareness of the rich culture of the Gitga’at people, from the importance of family, to their unique culinary practices and local spiritual beliefs. It reaffirmed our commitment to improve health for Indigenous communities, and deepened our humility from our history as white settlers."