The District of Sicamous is seeking health-care providers for the future Shuswap Secwépemc Healing Centre.
The Shuswap Secwépemc Healing Centre (SSHC) will be a 15,000 square-foot health-care building that will house current Sicamous Community Health Centre services, traditional Indigenous healing space and opportunities for social, community and allied health services.
A district report states the goal of the centre is to “be a place where residents of Sicamous and the region can access health and wellness services from birth to end-of-life.”
A health needs assessment was conducted by Dr. Avein Saaty-Tafoya for the healing centre project. The findings of the assessment emphasized an overall need for affordable and accessible health care in the region. The report states “many community members expressed concerns of lack of resources and communication about what resources are available,” and points of interest were a desire for behavioural health issues to be addressed, including mental health and substance abuse, transportation and chronic disease care.
The list of concerns also include limited uptake of preventative services, lack of specialist doctors, lack of nurses, use of paramedics and emergency services for ailments that are not emergencies, difficulty navigating referral systems and lack of care for people from vulnerable communities, among others.
The report identified lists of needs and areas of improvement, including supporting preventative services and children’s and pregnant women’s care, as well as management of chronic diseases and working to train and recruit medical school graduates.
Specific to Indigenous health and well-being, the report identifies areas of improvement that factor in socioeconomic factors and health-related behavioural challenges. The report suggests exploring the feasibility of mobile health clinics, digital solutions, recruiting Indigenous healthcare workers to remote areas like Sicamous, invest in Indigenous healing practices at the same level as western healthcare options and training to bolster cultural awareness, along with other possible solutions.
The full report is available at sicamous.ca., including plans and meeting notes beginning Sept. 14, 2021.
An operational map is being created to plan the multi-service concept, and expressions of interest (EOI) are being accepted by the district for service providers that are looking to provide public health, primary and allied healthcare, pharmacy, lab, social and community outreach services in Sicamous.
A list of potential tenants will help operational plans move forward for the healing centre.
The closing date for applications is Aug. 14.
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