Ya·kiⱡʔawumuʔtiⱡamnamki – Ktunaxa Nation Regional Health Centre to receive the Primary Care Champion Award at upcoming ceremony
May 5, 2026
The Nurses and Nurse Practitioners of British Columbia is awarding the Ktunaxa Regional Health Centre with an award for its championing of primary care in ɁamakɁis Ktunaxa.
The award honours exceptional leadership, innovation and measurable impact in primary care.
The ceremony will be in Vancouver on May 28, 2026.
Attending the ceremony on behalf of Ktunaxa Nation Council will be Sara Chorney, Nurse Manager, Gustaf Hagland, LPN, and Jennifer Driscoll, RPN.
Read the announcement here: 2026 NNPBC Nursing Awards Recipients Announced – NNPBC – Nursing Awards
As part of the awards, team members were asked what impact of the centre’s work they are most proud of.
Here is what Racheal Nicholas, Clinical Director of the Ktunaxa Nation Council Social Investment Sector at the centre had to say:
What we’re most proud of as a team is that we don’t take a “no” from the system as the end of the road. When barriers come up, we come together and ask ‘How do we make this work?,’ especially for people who wouldn’t typically have access to primary health services. We lean on each other, our partnerships, and our different roles to find a way in.
We don’t expect people to come to us or fit into rigid boxes; we go to them. Sometimes that’s literally out into encampments or wherever they are, always meeting people where they’re at.
It’s about working around system limitations, not passing them on.
That mindset has helped us build real trust and reach people who are often left out, making care feel accessible, respectful, and truly responsive to what people need.
