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February 21, 2022 @ 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
The virtual public release and ceremony of the Remembering Keegan: a BC First Nations Case Study Reflection is confirmed for Monday, February 21, 2022 from 10:00AM-12:00PM on Keegan’s birthday. This BC First Nations case study is the first of its kind and will shape the Cultural Safety and quality of care for all Indigenous people in BC and across the country. This story will be gifted in ceremony to the leaders of the health system – they will be acknowledged as leaders of the system and in charge of the learning and actions required to make these changes. The attached invitation provides an opportunity for you to participate and witness in ceremony; something that may not have been possible if we gathered in person. The event is on Family Day and while we may look forward to gathering and celebrating with our own families, Keegan is missing from his. I hope you will be able to find time learn and hear his story.
If you are available to attend and bear witness to this important event, please refer to this Invitation for login details and RSVP by emailing FSevents@fnha.ca.
**Trigger warning: the story may trigger unpleasant feelings and memories of negative experiences. This information is intended to acknowledge the culturally unsafe care that exists in the health system and help to address it.
Keegan Combes of Skwah First Nation, passed away on September 26, 2015 from a delayed diagnosis following an accidental poisoning. He was 29 years old, he was a high school graduate, grade 10 pianist and chess champion who was loved by many. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada developed a definition of reconciliation and a guiding set of principles for truth and reconciliation. One of the principles states, “Reconciliation is a process of healing of relationships that requires public truth sharing, apology, and commemoration that acknowledge and redress past harms”. It is important for Keegan’s family and his Caregiver to make public the events that resulted in the death of Keegan Combes. For so long, First Nations experiences of racism in BC’s health system have been unacknowledged, dismissed and silenced. As a health organization created by BC First Nations, for BC First Nations and First Nations in BC, the FNHA has a role to honour First Nations truths and lived experiences in the face of over a hundred years of history where First Nations voices and experiences have been denied.
Keegan brought together Sto:lo and Coast Salish leaders to transform the health system from a sickness model to a wellness model of care. He is a transformer stone for the region. Telling Keegan’s story is important as a way to bear witness, document culturally unsafe encounters within the health care system, and contribute to changing the system to prevent similar deaths or harm in the future. Keegan’s legacy has been to help shape the Cultural Safety and Humility transformation that is currently underway in BC’s health system.
First Nations have a deeply rooted culture and tradition of storytelling as one of the ways of passing on knowledge. Storytelling is a traditional method used to teach about cultural beliefs, values, customs, rituals, history, practices, relationships, and ways of life. First Nations storytelling is a foundation for wholistic learning, relationship building and experiential learning. This case study reflection is a learning tool for health professionals to learn from and reflect on personal and systemic conditioned biases that shape their practice, and engage in conversations to create safer health care environments and experiences for First Nations and Indigenous people – so what happened to Keegan never happens to others.
Eliminating Indigenous-specific racism in health care and achieving health equity are shared goals of the FNHA, First Nations Health Council (FNHC), and First Nations Health Directors Association (FNHDA). These goals are critical in attaining our shared vision of healthy, self-determining and vibrant BC First Nations children, families and communities. The FNHA, FNHC and FNHDA recognize the importance of enhancing access to quality, culturally safe health care that affirms First Nations cultures, rights, and identities – in tandem with addressing systemic racism in the health care system.35 Supported by the teachings in Cultural Safety & Humility, the Case Study Reflection captures the truth and protects the family from having to re-tell a very difficult story. It supports the family’s ability to move forward, knowing the system will continue to learn and do better by learning from their experiences; which are captured in partnership and approved by the family to reduce any misleading interpretations of their experience and truth.
We acknowledge that the content of this case study reflection is distressing and may be triggering for First Nations and Indigenous people who may see their own experiences of harm and cultural unsafety in the healthcare system reflected. Those who require emotional support can contact the 24-Hour KUU-US Crisis Line at 1-800-588-8717. It may also contribute to unpleasant feelings among non-Indigenous readers who are asked to witness and think differently about experiences of systemic racism that are often hidden from view.
‘Remembering Keegan’ is an in-depth case study reflection of Keegan’s story which was summarized as an emblematic story included in the In Plain Sight Report, both the Summary Report (pg. 37-38) and the full report (page 101-102).
