Community & Culture

We are IH: Unit clerk loves being part of her remote community

April and her coworker Sabina, a member of the West Chilcotin Health Centre’s clerical staff.

Name: April Lee Anne Wright (she/her/hers)
Job Title: Unit Clerk
Length of Service: 11.5 years
Worksite: West Chilcotin Health Centre
Community: Tatla Lake
Ancestral Territory: Tŝilh qo t’in
Favourite Quote / Advice to Live By: “We need to remember life doesn't need to be so complex. Stop, be present and find the joy in simply being able to walk in the splendor around us.” —April

April Wright, a unit clerk at West Chilcotin Health Centre, loves being part of her small remote community. When she’s not in the clinic helping and caring for her fellow community members, she’s getting her hands dirty in her garden or exploring the forest with her dogs.

“There is something so simple and soothing about being in the garden helping things grow, or walking in the forest in the winter with my dogs admiring the wonderful things nature has given us. It sets the world right for me.”

April enjoys helping people, advocating for their needs, and being available during difficult times in their lives. She can offer them comfort and human connection in a community where services and access can be limited.

“Living and working in a small remote town gives me a larger sense of purpose since the patients we're caring for aren't just patients: they’re friends, neighbours and people we love and spend time with. We are fortunate enough that we get to share their joys with them, and we are blessed to be able to offer them empathy and comfort on some of the most difficult days of their lives.”

Learn more about April’s journey with IH

Growing up as a child of an RCMP officer, April was exposed to the reality and honesty of the world from a young age. At 15, she was already doing first responder work with the registered nurses in her community. 

A smiling person with a dusty face rests their arm on their knee. They’re wearing a burgundy tank top, bangles and sunglasses on their head.
April after a day in the garden with her kids getting the beds ready for planting.

After obtaining first aid certifications, April took a job with RCMP Victim Services. She went on to work for a provincial non-profit organization and helped bridge the digital divide in remote First Nations communities. In her role, she also focused on film and song recordings to carry on traditional stories.

A person in black clothing and helmet rides a grey horse in a field of grass on a cloudy day.
April riding Bluebelle at her sister’s cattle farm in the Tatlayoko Valley.

April moved back home to Tatla Lake after having her first child. Upon her return, she joined the West Chilcotin Health Centre as a unit clerk. Here, she’s been able to use the skills—including singing—she has acquired over the years to help serve her community.

A white dog and brown dog tussle over a stick on a snowy day.
April’s dogs Moose and Missy.

“I was classically trained as a first soprano from five years old and spent many years singing,” April explains. “I now use my singing skills for wee ones who come to our clinic and critical patients who are scared and request some comfort.”

There are no typical days at West Chilcotin Health Centre. The clinic offers services ranging from public health to emergency care.

Often described as periods of calm followed by hours of madness, the health centre can go from having a single patient visiting the lab to having someone with a traumatic injury come in the doors. What might normally require a six- to seven-person response team must be handled by the small but mighty team of three at West Chilcotin Health Centre.

What makes me most proud about our team is how we work together. We face major traumas sometimes in the middle of winter when it’s -30 outside and yet we function smoothly. We all know what we need to do without speaking to each other there is just something almost magical in finding people you can work with like that.

-- April Wright

A great example of this teamwork—and one of April’s most memorable moments at IH—is how her team and her community came together during the 2017 wildfires.

“The raging wildfires had us boxed in on either side and communities had limited egress to evacuate,” recalls April. “Not only did our staff rally together but our community lifted us up. We moved our entire clinic (with permission from IH) to our local community hall and ran it from there to provide access to care for the people battling the fires. The resilience of our team and commitment to our community are boundless—and our community returns it to us 100-fold.”

A barefoot person with long dark hair wearing a black dress holds a leafy green plant as they cut away at the base.
April harvesting mullein on the way back from her shift at Alexis Creek Health Centre. Mullein is used in traditional and naturopathic medicine for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

 

Many of us carry large mental and emotional loads. It’s important we remember to step back and say ‘no.’ Those who value you and your time will understand and accept the answer you give them—no is a complete sentence. You do not need to quantify your answer. Be it sitting on a committee, volunteering, taking an extra shift or something else, none of us can pour from an empty cup.

-- April Wright
A hand holding up a white leather hide.
April learning the traditional way to tan a hide from an Elder at Ulkatcho.

 

Building the bridges to walk together into a future where we can all flourish and maintain a balance of equality.”

-- What reconciliation means to April

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