The Remembering Keegan: A BC First Nations Case Study Reflection is the first British Columbia (BC) First Nations case study of its kind shared by First Nations in BC and was publicly released and gifted in ceremony to the BC health care system on what would have been Keegan’s 36th birthday, Monday, February 21, 2022.
In honour and alignment with the First Nations Health Authority’s (FNHA) Data Sharing Protocols, prior to the public release and ceremony, the Office of the Chief Medical Officer (OCMO) and the Fraser Salish Regional team worked together to organize a virtual Town Hall event for community Chiefs and leaders, the First Nations Health Council, and the First Nations Health Directors Association to provide information on the case study and answer questions. It has been one year since this historical work was done, the OCMO would like to share back with Keegan’s family, friends and communities on the work we have done in support of Keegan’s gift to the health system as an ongoing learning opportunity and case for quality improvement.
This past year, the OCMO had opportunities to present the Case Study Reflection during several meetings and workshops at different organizations. The Case Study Reflection was presented in partnership with Rhianna Millman during a breakout session at the BC Patient Safety and Quality Council’s 2022 Quality Forum where the audience was challenged to identify themselves as champions and take up the actions and work of the Case Study Reflection. The session was well received and there have been a number of additional presentations including at the Fraser Health Clinical Leadership Committee, the BC College of Nurses and Midwives Board, the Reimagining Our Health Care System: A Restorative Approach Forum and the University of Northern BC Health Research Institute & First Nations Studies.
The OCMO partnered with Langara College and their Indigenous Health Committee to facilitate a two part workshop to their nursing educators at their Education Forum which occurred in the fall of 2022. Langara College has incorporated the Remembering Keegan Case Study Reflection into their curriculum for the first time this January; we are looking forward to hearing the feedback on how it went.
The OCMO has also supported the nomination of Rhianna Millman, Keegan’s caregiver, advocate and co-author of ‘Remembering Keegan: A BC First Nations Case Study Reflection’ for the YWCA Women of Distinction Award in the category of “Reconciliation in Action” where she has been confirmed as a successful nominee.
The Remembering Keegan: A BC First Nations Case Study Reflection is an ongoing gift from Keegan and his family to all leaders of the BC health system. They are strongly encouraged to take the lead in the system-wide education and actions that are required to make the recommended changes to advance Cultural Safety and Humility at the individual and systemic level. Health system leaders and health professionals are strongly encouraged to take the lead in understanding how to use the Case Study Reflection as a learning tool to learn from and reflect on personal and systemic conditioned biases that shape their practice and engage in conversations to create safer health care environments and experiences for First Nations and Indigenous people – so what happened to Keegan never happens to others.
We thank Keegan’s family, Rhianna and the Fraser-Salish communities for gifting the health system this invaluable learning tool and reminder. We commit to being open to partner with the health system and supporting their initiatives to include Remembering Keegan into their learning systems in order to fulfill their responsibilities to Keegan, his family, Rhianna and the Fraser-Salish communities.
