The medicine people are chosen

Both Carolyne Neufeld and Peggy Napope know that health care is their calling. In their respective roles – and as nurses by training – they help strengthen and promote Indigenous health and culturally appropriate care, across diverse settings and communities. A large component of this work? Reframing narratives around what it means to be Indigenous, through stories of resilience, pride and joy.

In this episode they share how their journeys in health care have been shaped by motherhood, anti-Indigenous racism, and their work in diverse and sometimes remote communities – and discuss practical steps anyone can take to advance Truth and Reconciliation in their personal and professional lives.

Guest bios
Carolyne Neufeld is vice president, Indigenous Health and Cultural Safety at Fraser Health. She leads a team that supports staff and medical staff to advance reconciliation and uphold relevant legislation; to improve health services for First Nations, Métis and Inuit people; to create a path forward that respects the human rights of Indigenous Peoples; and to integrate Indigenous knowledge into the values, policies and practices into our health care system.

Peggy Napope is an Indigenous health liaison and licensed practical nurse. Her role is to help provide a culturally safe experience for Indigenous clients as an advocate, navigator and connector to resources and cultural supports. She is of Cree, Dakota and Métis descents and originally from Saskatchewan, Treaty 6 territory.

Learn more
Indigenous Health Liaisons Program: https://ow.ly/45JT50Qwycq
Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action: https://ow.ly/IFfq50QwyeC

About The Heart of It
Every episode, Dr. Victoria Lee, president and CEO of Fraser Health, take listeners to the heart of health care, where passion, dedication and innovation drive individual, community and planetary health.

Listen to and watch more episodes of The Heart of It here. And be sure to subscribe to The Heart of It in your favourite podcast player app so that you don’t miss a beat.

This episode of The Heart of It was recorded on the traditional, ancestral and unceded shared territories of the Katzie, Kwantlen, Coquitlam, Semiahmoo and Tsawwassen First Nations, and on the home of the Surrey-Delta Métis Association.