April 8, 2021—Ha-Shilth-Sa—Page 3
Healing practices introduced to health care in Tofino Pilot project launched in Tofino to incorporate cultural cleansing practices as part of hospital care By Melissa Renwick Local Journalism Initiative Reporter When Dr. Luke Williston first heard about the Tla-o-qui-aht men’s group, his ears perked up. As one of Tofino’s primary care and emergency room physicians, Williston often treats patients who struggle with alcoholism and substance abuse. When he started seeing the same three men returning to the hospital nearly every month, Williston was at a loss. He arranged for counselling and prescribed medication, but none of his methods seemed to help. Thinking back to the men’s group, Williston approached Chris Seitcher, Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation cultural support worker, and asked about bringing a cultural healer into the hospital. They arranged for Dwayne Martin to perform a cleansing ceremony for the patients and the immediate benefits were “Hard to ignore,” said Williston. For the following year, Williston said he hardly saw those patients. “That’s the Western medicine in me,” he said. “I’m result-oriented and want to see people get better. If our way isn’t doing it, we have to be open to seeing what could work better and I know this does.” In February 2020, Williston and Seitcher organized a ceremony to introduce physicians, nurses along with x-ray and laboratory technicians to Nuu-chah-nulth traditional healing practices.
“If we introduce our culture to the hospital and if the doctors and the staff are able to understand it, they’ll be more open to having it there,” said Seitcher. The ultimate goal is to regularly incorporate culturally appropriate ceremonies for First Nations as a method of healing within the hospital. “Some of the illness that we struggle with in the First Nations population is related to this loss of identity, this stripping of identity from the past,” said Williston. The hope is that it’ll be a step towards reclaiming that identity, he said. Led by Seitcher and Nora Martin, who has been working as a cultural healer since 1976 and facilitates the Tla-oqui-aht’s women’s group, hospital staff participated in a talking circle and breathing exercises that included drumming and singing led by Seitcher’s son, Hayden. The men and women were then separated to experience cold water cleansing in pools that were set up at Načiks, otherwise known as Monks Point. “We deal with a lot of trauma and quite often, we go home carrying that with us and don’t let it go,” said Martin. “When you do a ceremony, you’re cleansing yourself of that trauma so that you can move forward in a good way.” Williston said he was “vibrating” after the ceremony. Simply put, “You feel better,” he said. Sometimes our physical injuries can be connected to our story or trauma explained Seitcher. By addressing the
Photo by Melissa Renwick
Chris Seitcher, Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation cultural support worker, poses for a photo on Long Beach in front of Esowista, near Tofino, on April 1, 2021. trauma through cultural healing, he hopes to instill First Nations with more connection to their culture and spirit. “Our elders would always say, ‘we are born with everything that we need – we are born with our gifts and we’re born with our ceremonies,’” said Seitcher. While Williston continues to push for healing ceremonies to be more widely incorporated into the hospital, the pilot project has been put on pause due to COVID-19.
His goal is for it to extend to RCMP employees, fire fighters, paramedics and the coast guard once physical distancing restrictions are lifted. “I believe our medicines, our culture and our traditions can take our people a long way in healing,” said Norah. “I know it works and that’s why I continue to do it. Our culture really makes a difference and really helps our people to heal.”
COVID-19 all Indigenous adults eligible for vaccine By Denise Titian Ha-Shilth-Sa Reporter A spike in COVID-19 cases in the province has health officials taking preemptive action in order to protect people. “Rising case levels, variants of concern, increased transmission and an increase in more severe cases are huge concerns,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “B.C. public health officials are making the tough choices now to break the chain and protect our communities.” The latest efforts by the province to reduce the spread of the virus is being referred to as a circuit-breaker – a set of tight restrictions designed to break the chain of transmission of the deadly corona virus. The restrictions include a three-week closure of restaurants, bars and pubs with the exception of service at outdoor patios. In addition, all indoor public gyms and fitness centres, indoor worship centres and other such indoor gathering places were ordered closed from Mar. 31, 2021 to Apr. 19, 2021. Public schools are open with students down to grade 4 being asked to wear masks. All workers are encouraged to work from home where possible and travel is limited to essential, work or medical reasons only. But that didn’t stop Easter long week-
end travel on the Island. There were long lines at the BC Ferry terminals and outof-province license plates were seen in several island tourist destinations including Tofino. On Vancouver Island as of Apr. 6, there are 463 confirmed active cases of COVID-19 including 73 new cases. There are thirteen people in hospital, two that are in ICU. Twenty-nine Vancouver Islanders have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began last year. In British Columbia there are 1,068 new cases bringing the province’s active case count to 8,671. There are 328 British Columbians in hospital with 96 of those in critical care. Since the beginning of the pandemic there have been 1,463 confirmed COVID-19 deaths in BC. Over time, viruses can mutate. The mutations are known as variants. There are several known variants of the COVID-19 virus. Three variants of concern in the province are B.1.1.7, P.1 and B.1.351. The P.1 variant, first reported in Japan but later identified in Brazil, may be able to re-infect people who have had COVID-19. Some current treatments and vaccines may not work as well on cases of this variant. Because of this and the ongoing spread of the virus, people are asking to continue to practice safety precautions like avoiding crowds, wearing masks and washing
Correction: The Ha-Shilth-Sa published a story in the Februaury 25th newspaper, page 10 •tled Nuu-chah-nulth Cultural Centre Proposed for Port Alberni that stated the Tseshaht First Na•on provided their support to the group of individuals proposing plans for the cultural and interpre•ve centre. This informa•on is incorrect. The Tseshaht First Na•on is not working closely with the developers of the project and have not offered outright support. The Tseshaht First Na•on only supported the group’s applica•on for exploratory funding and have made it clear that their consulta•on, partnership, collabora•on and consent are required as the project develops.
hands frequently, even if they are vaccinated. The province is ahead of schedule on vaccinating people, announcing that they are in phase three of a four phase immunization process. To date it has administered 912,056 doses of vaccine; 87,474 of those are second doses. The highly contagious variants are exacerbating the spread of the virus especially among the younger age groups, like those ages 20-39. For this reason, the province is in a race to get the adult population vaccinated as soon as possible. “Community (herd) immunity could be reached when a large majority of people in B.C. are immunized against COVID-19,” states the provincial website. “When you choose to be vaccinated against COVID-19, you are helping save lives by protecting your household and your entire community from the virus,” it continued. They go on to say that the lifting of current restrictions will be based on many factors, including the number of people immunized and level of community immunity, the number of COVID-19 cases in the province and health care capacity. Beginning Apr. 6 those 71 years and over, born 1950 or earlier may register for a vaccination appointment. Indigenous people age 18 and over may now book an appointment any time, no matter where in the province they live. Visit https://www.getvaccinated.gov. bc.ca/s/ to book online 24 hours a day or call 1-833-838-2323 from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. to book an appointment. First Nations Health Authority states that as of early March 2021 all Nuuchah-nulth Nations (communities) have received first dose vaccine. Second dose clinics were held for a number of communities that received vaccine in early
January. Remaining community clinics will be aligned to the new schedule released by the Provincial Health Officer, which extended the timeline between first and second dose from 42 days to 16 weeks. VI FNHA has been focusing on advocacy for whole of community approach (18 years+) for all Indigenous community members who reside outside of the confines of reservations/ treaty settlement lands. “We continue to work in partnership to plan for Indigenous away-from-home clinics and support the broader mass immunization clinics to promote culturally safe access to vaccine,” said FNHA in an email. The PAFC is hosting a vaccination clinic on April 8 – 9 and April 12, 2021 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. To register, for the PAFC vaccination clinic, call Darlene Leonew, Michelle Hnennyj or Jackie Wells at 1-250-7238281. This clinic is open to all people 71 and older and to Indigenous people over the age of 18. Bring your Care Card, a mask and wear a short-sleeved shirt to your appointment. Children are back in school, but parents are asked to keep their child home from school if they feel sick or have any sign of illness. Get tested immediately if you or anyone in your family feels sick. The provincial health authorities assure people that there is strong evidence that the vaccine is safe and works for all adults–including seniors/Elders – and that it is highly effective across age, sex, race and ethnicity. FNHA advises that it is important that everyone, including Indigenous people, continue to follow safety guidelines as set by the BC Ministry of Health, even after they have received a vaccination.
