Rahi Care: Supporting Punjabi and South Asian Communities with Dr. Nitasha Puri & Gary Thandi
“Everybody will say, oh yeah, everything’s wonderful, we’re doing it. And I say, don’t fall for the okie doke. Question it. If you’re seeing a person suffering, or a family, or a community suffering, ask what kinds of services actually exist. Don’t just accept it when someone says, oh yeah, we’ve got this, or we’ve got that. Look into it. Dig a little further. And that part, what I call the cynicism, is really lived experience that I try to pass on to new practitioners.”
Gary Thandi
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About the Episode
In this episode, we are joined by Gary Thandi and Dr. Nitasha Puri. Gary is a social worker with over twenty years of experience in social services and counselling, and he is the Executive Director of Moving Forward Family Services, a non-profit counselling organization. Dr. Puri is a family physician with training in addiction medicine. She works with Fraser Health, and she is also a Clinical Associate Professor in UBC’s Department of Family Practice.
Their conversation centers on their decade-long partnership and the Rahi Care Program (RCP), a community co-created initiative supporting Punjabi and South Asian communities impacted by substance use. You will hear how they bring social work, primary care, and community organizations into the same room to reduce barriers; how the program is designed with community members; and how they find a way to make support happen in real life for individuals and families.
Timestamps
01:32 – Getting to Know: Gary Thandi
01:44 – Getting to Know: Dr. Nitasha Puri
02:21 – How they met: Punjabi-speaking clients falling through the gaps
04:52 – Why Gary founded Moving Forward and what research taught him
09:08 – “People care. Systems don’t.” Finding allies for change
10:33 – Working across social work and family medicine
13:58 – Serving Punjabi communities: family systems, stigma, and access barriers
21:55 – How Rahi Research co-created the family and recovery group
38:59 – “Don’t fall for the okie doke”: accountability and advocacy
41:55 – Closing reflections on partnership and hope
Mentioned in this Episode:
Rahi Care Program
Moving Forward Family Services
Our Guests
Gary Thandi has his Bachelors and Masters in Social Work, and has over 20 years’ experience, having worked as a probation officer, counsellor, hospital social worker, program manager, researcher, and clinical supervisor. He is founder, Executive Director and Clinical Supervisor of a non-profit collaborative called Moving Forward Family Services, which provides low barrier counselling and support services to residents in BC and across Canada.
Dr. Nitasha Puri is a clinical assistant professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia, and staff physician in the Department of Addiction Medicine and Substance Use Services at Fraser Health. Her research interests broadly centre upon substance use among racialized populations, healing and recovery, and health equity.