She was also behind the regular excursions that take elders out on the land to do traditional medicine picking so they can make their own remedies. (Balsam sap, she says, is good for skin conditions.) “We bring in an expert and provide transportation and a lunch. It’s another way of getting people active and increasing their knowledge of their culture.”
In her current position as team lead of health promotion, Martin is responsible for budgeting, revising programs and their workplans, and overseeing the physician clinics as well as all the centre’s programs, including immunization. “I miss the day-to-day hands-on work with the patients, and jump in to help whenever I get the chance, but as a manager I have a little more power to bring about change and to implement new programs or hire more staff when we need them.”