Improving Palliative Care Services in a BC First Nation

A BC First Nation has been able to come up with innovative solutions to address the increased healthcare demands such as improving high speed internet access to facilitate access to telehealth. However, there are still significant barriers that remain that make it difficult for the community to provide its surging palliative care population with optimal care. Indigenous patients already experience unique social, cultural and economic barriers to accessing quality healthcare, including palliative care. The modern day effects of colonialism, Indian hospitals, and residential schools are demonstrated through the health inequities present in Indigenous communities. Indigenous patients are more likely to have a chronic health condition such as diabetes, cancer, and have complications sooner that leads them to pursue palliative care. For many Indigenous communities, death is not just a physical process, but a social and spiritual event. As a result, significant improvements need to be made to change the course of declining palliative care services. According to our community partner, the deterioration in care is due to many factors such as communication breakdowns, lack of integration of Indigenous cultural practices and insufficient staffing support. As many of these deficiencies in care can be resolved through improved integration of the various palliative care services available within the community, our project aims to bridge the gap between the different healthcare facilities. These include the local health department, Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) palliative care team, the pharmacy and local practitioners.