Northern Health’s Indigenous Patient Liaison (IPL) program provides a bridge between Indigenous communities, their culture, and health care providers. The role of the IPL program is to help bridge the gap between Western and traditional medicine to ensure a health system that honours diversity and provides services in a culturally relevant manner.
Indigenous Patient Liaison Program staff work in collaboration with key partners such as on-site staff, managers, and the Patient Care Quality Office to develop, implement, and evaluate processes to address the concerns and experiences of Indigenous people within the health care system.
In this article, we highlight and hear from Indigenous Health Service Assistant Valerie Setah, who works at GR Baker Hospital in Quesnel
“What I love about being an Indigenous Health Service Assistant is that I'm related to a lot of our patients we serve, and therefore I have built-in instant relationships with them,” says Valerie. “I’m passionate about this, and so doing this work fills me with great joy.” Valerie has worked in this position since January 2024. Valerie has found that because many of the patients she serves are also her relatives, she’s able to learn more about herself through meeting her extended family.
Many of Valerie’s extended family are related to her though her great-grandmother Agnes Sam (nee Chantyman) who lived in Nazko before her marriage to Valerie’s grandfather Johnny Sam. They moved to Tletinq’ox after getting married.
Valerie remembers that on her first day at Northern Health, she was swept into the action even before she could take her coat off. Valerie is passionate about her work and loves being able to provide support and connection to patients and families.
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