The FNHA works to reform the way health care is delivered to First Nations in British Columbia (BC) through direct services and collaboration with provincial partners. In 2013, the FNHA assumed the programs, services, and responsibilities formerly handled by Health Canada's First Nations Inuit Health Branch - Pacific Region. The First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) is the first province-wide health authority of its kind in Canada. What is the First Nations Health Authority? Moving toward goals and taking decisive actions Meditating, praying and other spiritual / cultural practicesīeing adaptable and accepting that change is a part of living Keeping things in perspective (not viewing crises as insurmountable)
Making meaningful connections with others Ways to cultivate resilience include:įocusing on the positive, maintaining a hopeful outlook In fact, a recent Harvard health blog about resilience called it a "mind-body medicine that reduces the need for health care." 4 And happily, research has also found that resilience can be taught, learned and cultivated-it is not something that only the lucky or the brave possess. There is a growing body of research on how resilience-the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress-is actually a life skill that helps people persevere and become healthy and well. So we are blessed to have experienced the “medicine of resilience” in overcoming trauma. Today, my three sisters, my brother and I are all in the helping professions, and my parents have been married for more than 50 years. He pushed us all to look forward, work hard and be strong. My father was strong despite his pain he had been raised on the land, traditionally, and had not attended residential school. Now that I have children of my own, I understand her grief. My mother had been through residential school, so she already had a lot to deal with emotionally. That incident, and my mother's subsequent long-term depression, greatly impacted my family. For example, when I was five, I saw my eight-year-old sister accidentally shot by a teenager who was playing with a gun.
So we wholeheartedly believe that our vision for "healthy, self-determining and vibrant BC First Nations children, families and communities" 3 can become a reality in spite of experiences of trauma.įor me, this belief is bolstered by the fact that I know many First Nations people who have managed to move past horrific trauma and live healthy lives. The First Nations Health Authority takes a more balanced approach, acknowledging the damaging impacts of trauma on health while having great faith in the healing powers of resilience and cultural, spiritual and traditional knowledge and medicine. At the other end of the spectrum, there are those who dismiss historical trauma as “in the past” and consider personal responsibility paramount. Some think that historical trauma, defined as "a cumulative emotional and psychological wounding over the lifespan and across generations, emanating from massive group trauma," 2 dictates one's destiny.
But what happens when the "shoulders" of one generation have been damaged by devastating experiences? How much does this damage matter to the success of future generations? And are there ways to mitigate the damage? In this way, we figuratively stand on their shoulders as we keep building upwards. From our families of origin, we learn foundational life skills and ways of coping, inherit genes and knowledge, and much more. 1 This is true of any profession, and it's even truer in our personal lives. "Each generation of scientists stands upon the shoulders of those who have gone before," a Nobel Prize–winning physicist once said, referring to how knowledge and skills are built and improved upon, generation by generation. Evan Adams, MD, MPH & Warren Clarmont Reprinted from the "Indigenous People" issue of Visions Journal, 2016, 11 (4), p.
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