COMMUNITY PROGRAM:
Parenting, Pre and Post Natal Care
Our pre and post natal care is spearheaded by our community health nurse. As a registered Nurse with years of experience; parents can be assured that they will receive quality care and health promotion for themselves and their children.
There is a wide range of parental support programs that are assisted by our building blocks coordinator and community support workers. Parenting programs run weekly and offers many activities for new and expecting parents. Annually, we run a syilx Traditional Parenting Program that focuses on our cultural beliefs and practices as well as roles and responsibilities as caregivers.
Families are provided health checkups, immunizations, healthy harvest program, infant supplies & nutritional information, and much more as children develop and grow. There is an annual baby welcoming ceremony where Chief Clarence Louie along with members of Council introduce and welcome our new babies to the community.
Right To Play
Right To Play (RTP) is a harnessing youth program (In-class and after-school) that the Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB) has had the privilege of being associated with since 2015. The Right To Play (ages 6-12) after school program educates and empowers youth to absorb more positive behaviours and create a safe space in which the youth can expand their “Voice” to the inner community and beyond.
We (OIB) use RTP to teach youth important life and health lessons through “Sport & Play”; they discover how to make safe and healthy choices that will benefit them now and in the future. We provide an engaging environment for the kids to “Play” (and Learn) to level the playing field of all “genders and ages” while at the same time making it fun and active.
The Right To Play Program is broken down into 2 groups: We have an adaptable After-school program (ASP) for kids ages 6-12 and a Youth Leadership Program (YLP) for ages 12-18. The OIB ASP is “Run” by an OIB youth supervisor & youth workers that provide daily fun games & activities from 3-5pm (M-F) to help promote lifelong physical & social skills. The Youth Leadership Program is promoted and supervised by an OIB Youth Supervisor (Currently Marvin Louie) which can occur during or after-school. The YLP focuses on elevating the ‘Leadership and Voices’ of community youth.
After School Program: Ages 6-12
We believe in the power of play. Thanks to partnerships with Right to Play and local elementary school Senpokchin, this after school youth program uses the transformative power of play to educate and empower children in our community.
Youth Program: Ages 12-18
Have fun and make new friends all while learning new skills that will last a lifetime. Get active and push your boundaries with activities like archery, canoeing, boxing, and more. Being a young adult can be tough sometimes so there’s also the chance to sit down and talk about the big questions in life. Our staff facilitate weekly Boys and Girls groups at South Okanagan High School to strengthen cultural identity and self esteem.
Elders
Our elders carry the wisdom and knowledge of our ancestors, and are a vital link between our past, present, and future. Making sure that elders have the care and attention they deserve is a top priority. We provide a full range of health services including assistance to attend appointments. We provide health checks, diabetes management, footcare, discharge planning, health education, medication reviews with pharmacy and medical providers, homecare services and assessments, homecare equipment, medical aids, and other complimentary services.
Staying connected to the community and across generations is important. Elders get the opportunity to interact with community at our functions and are invited to attend programming and workshops. There’s also an annual elders conference to attend and enjoy.
HEALTH SERVICES PROGRAM:
Mental Health & Addictions
Your family’s mental health matters. Stress, substance use, depression
and mental illness all require urgent attention. Counselling makes a
difference. Our clinic team can provide referrals to treatment centres,
Opioid agonist therapy, clinical counsellors, or psychiatrists. We work
with a wide variety of counselling providers so that counselling can be
provided on site, off site, and virtually. We also work closely with the
Ku-us crisis line and our Okanagan Nation Response Team to make
sure our members are supported in an immediate and timely fashion.
The crisis line refers clients back to services at our office and checks in
monthly to get a feel of what is happening in the community.
Registered Nurse & Home and Community Care
Our fulltime Registered Nurse provides homecare management and
assessments, immunizations, referrals, pre- and post-operation education and services, education and support for chronic illness, CDC requirements, pre- and post-natal services, as well as working with service delivery organizations to provide safe, comprehensive services
for community members.
Primary Care Network
We have partnered with the Minister of Health, Primary Care
Steering Committee and Interior Health to be able to provide our
community with additional resources that can be accesses here at
our very own Health Centre. We have a resident Nurse Practitioner
to provide primary care services. Similar to that of a family
physician, the nurse practitioner can see to the patients care
needs and make referrals out to specialists and for additional
diagnostic testing. She is able to coordinate care for her patients
with a pharmacist, community support worker, dietician, mental
health worker, and other health centre staff. Patients can access
these health care professionals here at the office, and even see
multiple providers together for the most comprehensive care
plans.