Making Plan W easier to navigate

Our purpose

FNRx is exploring practical tools to help First Nations people in British Columbia and pharmacy teams find clear, current information about PharmaCare Plan W.

Why this matters

Eligible people can still face confusion at the pharmacy counter. A 2023 study by the Coastal Research, Education, and Advocacy Network (CREAN) found gaps in awareness of over-the-counter medication coverage, inconsistent experiences between pharmacies, and reports of racism and discrimination. Participants asked for clearer information in one place and better support for both community members and health professionals.

Read the CREAN study

Our story

FNRx began as Team 10 at Island Health Code Hack in Victoria in March 2025. The original group brought together people with lived experience, healthcare, advocacy, design, and software backgrounds around a shared question: how can we make access to Plan W benefits simpler and more respectful?

After Code Hack, the team continued with research, service design, interface mockups, and a pilot software codebase. The work remains exploratory, with feedback and community participation shaping the next steps.

What is Plan W?

First Nations Health Benefits (Plan W) is the B.C. PharmaCare plan for eligible First Nations Health Authority clients. It covers eligible prescription medicines, certain over-the-counter products, and some medical supplies. FNHA confirms enrolment and eligibility; the items and steps for accessing coverage follow current PharmaCare policy.

Our focus is the information gap around over-the-counter benefits. FNRx aims to help people arrive at a pharmacy conversation with clearer, source-based information, while leaving clinical advice and coverage decisions to the appropriate professionals and programs.

What we are exploring

The FNRx concept is a simple path from a product in hand to a clearer conversation about coverage:

1. Capture a product label or enter its drug identification number (DIN).

2. Compare the product with published Plan W benefit information.

3. Show understandable information that a person and pharmacist can review together.

A pilot codebase includes camera capture, text recognition, and a coverage lookup. It is a prototype, not a public eligibility service. Actual coverage depends on current plan rules and a person’s circumstances; a pharmacist and official Plan W resources remain the right place to confirm it.

How we work

Cultural safety. Respectful, anti-racist practice and attention to the experiences of First Nations people guide the work.

Community participation. We want people affected by the problem to shape the questions, design, and evaluation. Participation must be voluntary and guided by appropriate community processes.

Clarity and transparency. We aim to make information easier to understand, show where it comes from, and be open about the limits of a prototype.

Learning together. FNRx brings design, technology, healthcare, and advocacy perspectives together and iterates through feedback.

Who we are

FNRx is a collaborative project shaped by people working in healthcare, community advocacy, design, and software. The team started at Code Hack with a range of lived and professional experience. We bring those perspectives together to understand the barriers around Plan W and test practical ideas for reducing them.

We are interested in learning with First Nations community members, pharmacists, researchers, and service organizations through respectful, appropriately governed engagement.

Find current Plan W information

Plan W rules and benefit lists can change. For eligibility, covered items, and how to access them, start with the organizations responsible for the program:

• B.C. PharmaCare: First Nations Health Benefits (Plan W)

• First Nations Health Authority: Pharmacy Benefit

If you are unsure about a particular item, ask your pharmacist or contact FNHA Health Benefits using the details on its official site.

Get in touch

Have experience navigating Plan W or an idea for making information and pharmacy conversations clearer? We welcome thoughtful collaboration and feedback.

contact@fnrx.org