One of the worst fire seasons in decades
This summer, the province of British Columbia saw one of the worst fire seasons in decades. Thousands of people from the Cariboo region were evacuated to centres in Kamloops and Prince George. Northern Health had the opportunity to provide services for evacuees including long-term care needs, assisted living needs, home health needs, and primary care services. Many Northern Health staff put in full work-days and volunteered in the evenings to fill gaps related to caring for evacuees in Prince George and Quesnel. Staff helped out in various capacities from assisting with long-term care residents, working in food services or laundry, greeting evacuees and families at NH facilities, and more. Members of the Indigenous Health team assisted at the evacuation centre by supporting Northern Health efforts, and assisting at the First Nations Health Authority table by providing navigational support to evacuees and distributing gas cards. To support cultural safety at the evacuation centre, our team produced a one page document on Care in Crisis to alert volunteers to unique circumstances surrounding Indigenous evacuees.