SCHSS provides health service to the three rural bands of:

»Coldwater band is the largest of the three bands with a population of 740 members and located 14 kilometers from Merritt.
»Nooaitch band is the second largest of the three bands with a population of 197 members and located 23 kilometers from Merritt.
»Shackan band is the smallest of the three bands with a population of 114 members and located 48 kilometers from Merritt.

Culture and Language

The three communities are of the Nlaka'pamux Nation and linguistic group (Thompson).  These bands are all members of the Nicola Tribal Association and share some programs under this entity.

Transportation

All transportation to and from each community is by private vehicle only. There is a taxi company in Merritt, however, it is very expensive to travel to the communities. Merritt also has a bus service but this does not extend to the Villages. There are two private air strips, which are located in Douglas Lake and Quilchena Ranch properties.  In addition, there is a small public air strip for the town of Merritt. All commercial flights are routed through Kelowna or Kamloops. Greyhound Canada operates a bus depot in Merritt.

Although all three communities are located outside of the city centre (minimum of 20 minutes in good weather), the road conditions are considered good, weather permitting. Some of the roads through the reserves are paved and some are gravelled but maintained regularly. Accessibility to some areas in the winter and spring months may require four-wheel drive. Travel distance to health care providers can have serious implications for the provision of health care services and in some circumstances are considered a barrier.
The following cities are adjacent to the three communities:

City of Kamloops 85 kms from Merritt

City of Kelowna 110 kms from Merritt

City of Vancouver 300 kms from Merritt