Kloshe Nanitch Medicine Bundles

Public health is about more than preventing illness. It is also about strengthening the conditions that allow people and communities to thrive. Kloshe Nanitch, which means “take care” in Chinook jargon, is an initiative that provides health and wellness bundles to Indigenous communities across British Columbia. Led by Chee Mamuk, the Indigenous-led program within the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), the project supports healing, wellness, and connection through resources designed by and for Indigenous communities.

The Opportunity

Indigenous Peoples continue to experience significant health and social inequities resulting from the ongoing impacts of colonization, displacement, and systemic barriers to care. These inequities contribute to challenges such as poor health outcomes, substance use harms, food insecurity, housing instability, and mistrust of health and social systems.

Addressing these challenges requires approaches that recognize health as more than the absence of illness. Communities have emphasized the importance of supporting physical, emotional, mental, cultural, and spiritual well-being. They have also identified the need for resources that respect Indigenous values, strengthen cultural connections, and respond to local priorities.

The Kloshe Nanitch medicine bundles project was created to meet this need. Through community-designed wellness bundles, the program provides practical supports while fostering connection, dignity, and belonging.

The Solution

Kloshe Nanitch bundles are co-designed with Indigenous communities across British Columbia and tailored to local needs. The bundles combine Indigenous and Western approaches to health and wellness, with contents ranging from traditional medicines and cultural resources to personal care items, educational materials, harm reduction supplies, and land-based learning tools.

The flexibility of the program allows communities to determine what resources will be most meaningful and useful. Bundles have included harvesting supplies, hygiene products, food security supports, Naloxone kits, youth engagement materials, and resources that encourage cultural learning and wellness. They are intentionally packaged in discreet canvas bags that reduce stigma and support privacy.

The program also brings people together through community gatherings, cultural activities, and opportunities for people to learn from Elders, mentors, and one another. In this way, the bundles act not only as resources, but as catalysts for connection, conversation, and community-led action.

The Impact

Kloshe Nanitch bundles have been distributed to Indigenous communities throughout British Columbia, including northern and remote regions, Vancouver Island, the Interior, the North Coast, and the Lower Mainland.

Feedback from participants highlights four areas of impact:

Strengthening capacity by equipping communities with resources, education, and practical tools that support local wellness initiatives.

Culture as intervention by supporting reconnection to traditional teachings, cultural practices, and Indigenous identities.

Building connections between youth, Elders, families, knowledge keepers, and neighbouring communities.

Fostering intergenerational healing through activities and relationships that strengthen community bonds and support long-term wellness.

Participants describe the bundles as tangible expressions of care and respect. Communities have reported that the resources spark important conversations, encourage cultural learning, support harm reduction efforts, and create opportunities for healing that extend beyond the individual recipient.