A Year of Connection: Reflections on a Partnership with Three Corners
By Qi Integrated Health
Healing often begins with feeling safe, seen, and heard. Over the past year, naturopathic doctors from Qi have had the privilege of being part of this kind of healing through a partnership with Three Corners Health Services Society in Williams Lake, BC.
Meeting Three Corners
Three Corners Health Services Society was established to combine and coordinate health-care resources for the three Northern Secwépemc communities of Xatśūll First Nation, Stswecem’c Xget’tem First Nation, and T’exelc First Nation. By incorporating traditional and contemporary medical practices, the clinic plays a vital role in offering care where resources are limited. Thanks to funding from the First Nations Health Authority, patients can access services, medication, and supplements free of charge.
When a counsellor at Three Corners suggested bringing naturopathic doctors into the community, Qi’s founder jumped at the opportunity to get involved. Naturopathic care hadn’t been part of the clinic’s offerings before, but the team was eager to explore how it might fit alongside existing services.
How It Works
On a rotating basis, Qi’s naturopathic doctors travel to Williams Lake for three days of patient care at a time. Travel, accommodation, meals, and even local transportation are arranged so the doctors can focus fully on their work. Days are often long and fully booked, though flexibility is always part of the rhythm. Schedules shift, patients drop in, and sometimes the most meaningful moments happen in between appointments.
The program has increased access to care that would otherwise be out of reach in rural BC, while offering patients a more culturally attuned, unhurried environment where they can feel comfortable and supported.
What Patients Are Saying
For many patients, the impact of naturopathic care at Three Corners has gone beyond treatments. People describe feeling supported, often for the first time in a healthcare setting. That sense of safety has helped begin to rebuild trust in a system where past experiences may have led to neglect or mistrust. Slowly, patients who once avoided care are now returning, engaging more fully in their own health journeys.
In reflecting on the past year, the stories from patients stand out most:
“This was the first time I’ve ever felt safe in my body,” shared one patient after a craniosacral session for chronic depression.
Dr. Julie Cahill recalled, “A lot of our patients haven’t sought care in years. The fact that they’re coming back, regularly, says something about the trust that’s being built.”
What Practitioners Are Learning
The impact of this partnership has extended beyond patients. For the naturopathic doctors involved, the experience has been transformative.
“It’s a chance to go back to the roots of naturopathic medicine,” said Dr. Shauna Fraser. “You don’t always get that in the city. Here, it’s about meeting people where they’re at, one step at a time.”
Dr. Samantha Petrin noted, “We work with the resources people already have and support them with nutrition that’s accessible, and encourage small, realistic changes that can still make a meaningful impact on their wellness. We have to use our full skill set in primary care to help people feel more aware, empowered, and connected to their health.”
Practicing in Williams Lake means adapting and relying less on technology or supplements and focusing more on conversations, simple steps, and building relationships. It also means using skills that sometimes fade into the background in urban practice, from basic primary care to wound care.
“Every time I come back from Williams Lake, I have a new perspective on how I live my life in busy Vancouver,” noted Dr. Julie Cahill. “Up there, the pace is slower. Patients are willing to start small and work on one thing at a time, while in the city, patients often expect immediate solutions. That contrast really reflects my own working style to me, the go-go-go of Vancouver versus the small-town ease, and I find a lot of value in that perspective.”
Looking Back, and Ahead
As the program reaches its one-year mark, the reflections are clear: patients are finding safety and trust in care; practitioners are finding renewal and perspective in their work.
Above all, this collaboration has underscored the value of connection between patients and providers, between different approaches to care, and between communities separated by geography but linked by shared commitment.
The past year has been a reminder that healthcare is not just about treatments or titles. It’s about showing up, listening deeply, and creating spaces where people feel cared for.
Here’s to another year of learning, growth, and connection!
About Three Corners Health Services Society
Working together, we will achieve healthy individuals and community wellness for our Secwépemc people. Our mission is to holistically address the healthcare needs of our Secwépemc community members by incorporating traditional and contemporary practices.
