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WGH First Nations Health Cultural Programs

Traditional Medicine

Our Cultural Programs Coordinator provides awareness of traditional medicines and assists First Nations, Métis and Inuit patients to access traditional healing methods during their hospital stay.

Part of their role includes:

  • Consulting with healthcare professionals in planning care for First Nations, Inuit and Métis patients
  • Providing information and awareness about the uses of various traditional medicines available from the land
  • Assessing patients to determine the need and ability to receive traditional medicine
  • Providing counseling and spiritual support to patients and their families
  • Gathering medicine from the land
  • Gathering on-going knowledge from local elders
     
Cultural Education Opportunities

At Yukon Hospitals, we strive to promote culturally appropriate and safe care for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis patients. We listen to and treat every patient with respect and dignity in a timely manner. As part of your care, we plan and coordinate cultural learning opportunities for hospital staff, including events, workshops and a resource library.


Traditional Foods

Yukon Hospitals’ Traditional Food program is based on a shared understanding that traditional food is an important part of First Nations culture. Our shared respect for wild game, hunting, harvesting, processing, producing and serving traditional food is part of our First Nations Health Programs, which oversees our Traditional Foods Program.

Whitehorse General Hospital (WGH) has been serving traditional foods to First Nations, Inuit and Métis patients for more than 20 years. These foods are an important part of the daily lives, health, culture and identity of many Yukon First Nations people and help to create a comforting, healing, and familiar environment for patients when they are in hospital.

  • A special menu is offered to First Nations, Inuit and Métis patients during their stay at WGH and Watson Lake Community Hospital
  • Moose, Caribou, and Bison, broths, soups, stews and bannock are the most commonly served meals
  • If you are interested in having traditional foods during your stay in the hospital, please ask your Liaison Worker for more information

All wild game comes from local hunters, outfitters or conservation officers. Our Traditional Foods Program is always looking for more donations. If you are interested in donating meat or would like more information, please contact the Cultural Programs Coordinator at 867-393-8891.


How does the Program Work?

​Resident licensed hunters and First Nations hunters who have subsistence rights to hunt, donate wild game to Yukon Hospitals’ Traditional Foods Program. All hunters follow best practices/traditional methods to ensure wild game is handled safely and kept clean, cool and dry during harvesting and transportation.

A Hunter’s Questionnaire is completed by the hunters prior to sending the donated wild game to a local butcher. A First Nations Quality Control Form Checklist is completed by the butcher before sending the game to Yukon Hospitals.


Who Delivers the Program?

First Nation Liaison staff visit with all Indigenous patients to help them access traditional food and support their cultural needs and healing journey. Our First Nations Cultural Programs Coordinator coordinates all traditional food processes. 

The Food Services Team at Whitehorse General Hospital are responsible for the storage, production and service of traditional meals for Yukon Hospitals’ Indigenous patients. Food Services follows a Traditional Foods Program Protocols & Procedures Manual to ensure safe, quality meals are prepared and served. Frozen Tradition Meals are also delivered to Indigenous patients in Watson Lake and Dawson City Community Hospitals. Find all relevant program resources linked at the bottom of this page.