case study: indigenous communities and higher education

One Story of Indigenous Education2015 International Conference on Health Promoting

Universities/Colleges

Wednesday, June 24th, 2015

Evan Adams, MD, MPHChief Medical Officer

First Nations Health AuthorityWest Vancouver, BC

Knowledge is a sacred cow, & my problem will be how we can milk her while keeping clear of her horns.

~Albert Szent-Györgyi, "Teaching & Expanding Knowledge," Science, 4 December 1964

The Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (1996) concluded:

“Aboriginal people are at the bottom of almost every available index of socioeconomic well-being, whether [they] are measuring educational levels, employment opportunities, housing conditions, per capita incomes or any of the other conditions that give non-Aboriginal Canadians one of the highest standards of living in the world.”

CONTEXT- Agreements

• Leadership Accord (2005)

• The New Relationship (2005)

• The Transformative Change Accord (TCA) (2005)

One of the purposes of the TCA is to bring together the 3 parties to achieve goals of closing the social

& economic gap between First Nations & other British Columbians over the next 10 years.

The ChallengeThe difference in health outcomes between First Nations & other British Columbians is unacceptable & unsustainable.

Heading

www.fnha.ca

Text

21October 2011

It starts with me…

• BC First Nations Perspective on Wellness

• Mind-Body-Spirit• We are connected to

our environment & to each other

• We protect the health of the body, health of the spirit, mental health, & our emotional well-being

First Nations Health Authority

What makes you well?If you ask people what makes them well:

BeautyLoveOpportunityWorkFamilyArtSafetyKnowledgeFairnessRecreationCertainty

At the First Nations Health Authority, Governance is a Key Element

Outcomes of Governance Work:o Effective & accountable

First Nations, in full partnership with BC & Canada

o Culturally-responsive systemo First Nations health care needs

& priorities meto Better First Nations health

outcomes

A Gardener’s Tale

Dr. Camara Jones: Undoing Racism

"...the gardener notices that the red flowers flourish while the pink flowers languish, but has forgotten her original decision to separate the seeds into the two types of soil (one rich, one poor). Instead, she proclaims "I was right to prefer red over pink!".

Seeing me Seeing you

Ee mutl!

Thank you!

Evan Tlesla II Adams, MD, MPH