Carrier Sekani Family Services (CSFS) has broken ground for its planned detox and addictions treatment facility in northwest B.C. with a ceremony June 12.
Construction of Tachick Lake Healing Centre, located on the traditional territory of Saik鈥檜z First Nation (southwest of Vanderhoof), is estimated to be completed within two years and the centre is expected to be open by spring 2025.
The facility will provide a 10-bed medical detox program and a 36-bed, year-round residential treatment program that uses both First Nations鈥� traditional healing and cultural components and Western treatment modalities.
In addition to the medical detox facilities and residential spaces, land-based healing spaces such as greenhouses, gardens, smokehouses, an outdoor kitchen and a workshop to use as multipurpose spaces for activities such as carving or yoga.
The construction cost of the Tachick Lake Healing Centre is approximately $40 million, said CSFS and is jointly funded by the First Nations Health Authority, the Province of British Columbia and the Government of Canada.
鈥淭he Healing Centre will provide health and treatment based on sound practises including cultural, spiritual, social and science-based medical treatments,鈥� said Warner Adam, CEO of Carrier Sekani Family Services.
鈥淥ur vision is to be a centre of excellence for Indigenous health and wellness and demonstrate our ability to work with all partners to ensure that our people have the supports needed to regain their dignity and a solid path forward for healing,鈥� Warner said in a statement.
The program is built upon the concept of 鈥渓and-based healing,鈥� which refers to a way of using culture on traditional lands to promote wellness and healing.
鈥淔or this reason, it is important that our residential treatment centre, and the healing activities our program does in communities, is based on the land,鈥� Warner continued. 鈥淭he location of our treatment centre is therefore vitally important to our program鈥檚 structure.鈥�
CSFS said it has already commenced hiring trained staff, including physicians, nurses, allied support staff, cultural support staff, and various positions needed to operate the new facility.
With the opioid crisis in B.C. causing death among Indigenous people in disproportionate numbers, the healing centre is a welcome addition to several First Nation communities in the remote and rural areas of northwest B.C.
鈥淲hile First Nations people are resilient in countering the historical effects of colonization, today鈥檚 environmental hazards have compounded the social, health and economic problems in our communities,鈥� said Corrina Leween, Chief of Cheslatta Carrier First Nation and Carrier Sekani Family Services鈥� board president.
鈥淚t is our vision that the Tachick Lake Healing Centre will be a catalyst for change 鈥� and highlight how many more resources are required for community-based supports, including ongoing counselling, housing and employment training, if we are to make meaningful changes,鈥� Leween added.
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