Staff Spotlight
Embodying the commitment of providing culturally safe care
June marks National Indigenous History Month, a time to recognize the rich culture, history, and resilience of Indigenous Peoples and how these elements shape Indigenous Cultural Safety and Indigenous Health. We spoke with Jessy Dame, Regional Leader of Indigenous Health, who integrates his cultural heritage and passion into his daily work.
From an early age, Jessy had the desire to help people. After witnessing firsthand the profound impact nurses can have on patients and families, particularly when Jessy’s nephew was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), Jessy embarked on a journey to become a nurse. In 2015, he completed a nursing degree at the Thompson River University with a focus in birthing and started his career in a maternity/NICU setting in Kamloops. Interacting closely with young Indigenous families in this role sparked Jessy’s interest in sexual health and testing.
After moving to Vancouver, Jessy joined Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) in 2017. He started working as a Sexual Health Nurse in the STOP HIV-AIDS Initiatives Team, and later moved into his most recent as the Lead in the Indigenous, Gender and Sexual Health Team. Jessy’s passion lies in birthing, gender, sexual health, with expertise in Two-Spirit health. As the Lead, he worked to integrate these topics into Indigenous cultural safety education, supports 2SLGBTQA+ inclusion in programs and policies, and creates resources with and for the Two-Spirit community.
Committed to ongoing education, Jessy pursued additional qualifications during this period, earning certifications in NICU and Sexual Health from the British Columbia Institute of Technology, as well as completing a Master of Nursing at the University of British Columbia exploring how the intersections of sexual health, sex, and gender can contribute to suicide prevention.
Now, as the Regional Leader, Jessy will continue the vision of the Indigenous Women and Families team within Indigenous Health. Jessy’s focus will be on engaging Nations and Indigenous-led organizations within the VCH region to build stronger relationships and provide Indigenous-specific support for perinatal services. “Relationships are centric within Indigenous health. You need to be intentional and foster connections to build trust within health care,” Jessy explains. He is particularly inspired by how resilient and strong Indigenous and Two-Spirit youth are. “Witnessing the youth reclaim their culture and space has been extremely powerful,” he shares.
Jessy continues to learn from Indigenous nurses, elders, and knowledge holders to dismantle Indigenous-specific racism, fostering culturally safer care in every role.
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