The Community Antimicrobial Stewardship Team at BCCDC works to promote the appropriate use of antimicrobials, so these vital medicines remain effective for future generations. Misuse and overuse of antibiotics accelerate antibiotic resistance; when bacteria change in ways that prevent antibiotics from working, leaving infections that are difficult or impossible to treat.
Our program has a provincial mandate in British Columbia, where we provide education and resources to both the public and healthcare prescribers on responsible antibiotic use. The land now known as British Columbia is home to more than 200 First Nations and 36 Chartered Métis communities. We are beginning a partnership with members of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) to better understand how we can support community priorities, strengthen health promotion messages, and address gaps in our current work.
Indigenous communities bring thousands of years of knowledge in health promotion and disease prevention. Our goal is to build respectful relationships grounded in trust and reciprocal learning. We recognize First Nations communities as self-determining experts in their own health journeys. Our team will listen, learn, and support priorities identified by the community, including a two-eyed seeing approach where we use the lens of Indigenous knowledge in one eye and blend that with a view of a Western medicine approach with the other eye.
The One Health approach for antibiotic stewardship balances human, animal and environmental health, and we have much to learn from Indigenous teachings and practices.
To support this, we will host two in-person gatherings within the Squamish Nation, in collaboration with Squamish Elder Christine TlatlaKwot Baker and other community members. These gatherings will include shared meals, cultural activities such as beading or cedar rose making, and open discussions about how our program can better align with community health messages. Invitations will be extended to community members, including Elders, family program representatives, healthcare workers, and early childhood educators.
These gatherings are to build meaningful relationships and create space to listen to community voices. The work will be guided by community-identified priorities and initiatives. Through this, we hope to identify opportunities for partnership, strengthen our approach, and ensure our messaging and resources are relevant, respectful, and responsive to community needs.
Additional team members and participating organizations:
Hannah Lishman, PhD, BCCDC
Kate O’Connor, RN, BCCDC and FNHA
The Community Antimicrobial Stewardship team, BCCDC