Subject Guides: Anti-Racism: Indigenous Health & Anti-Racism

Information & Resources
Research Topics

Health Care

First Nations Health Authority
Covering the Fraser Salish, Interior, Northern, Vancouver Coastal, and Vancouver Island regions of BC, FNHA is the only provincial First Nations health authority in Canada.
Indigenous Health | Northern Health
Key priority: "Supporting the health care system to be culturally safe for Indigenous Peoples is one of our top priorities. All our programs and initiatives work toward inclusive health services and a health care system respectful of Indigenous Peoples in Northern BC."
Indigenous Services Canada | Government of Canada
"Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) works collaboratively with partners to improve access to high quality services for First Nations, Inuit and Métis. Our vision is to support and empower Indigenous peoples to independently deliver services and address the socio-economic conditions in their communities."
National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health
The National Collaborating Centre for Indigenous Health (NCCIH) is a national Indigenous organization established in 2005 by the Government of Canada and funded through the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to support First Nations, Inuit, and Métis public health renewal and health equity through knowledge translation and exchange. The NCCIH is hosted by the University of Northern BC (UNBC) on the traditional territory of the Lheidli T’enneh in Prince George, BC.
Central Interior Native Health
"Central Interior Native Health strives to recognize the unique health care needs of Aboriginal People and people who live on, or close to, the street. Our goal is to provide culturally safe and pro-active health care that promotes physical, mental, emotional and spiritual harmony."

The BC College of Nurses & Midwives and the College of Physicians & Surgeons BC have developed new practice standards on Indigenous Cultural Safety, Cultural Humility & Anti-Racism to better support Indigenous patients. Includes Indigenous experiences and perspectives to help inform practice and encourage reflection

From UBC's Faculty of Medicine, office of Respectful Environments, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (REDI): Information and resources on language and land acknowledgements, teaching and learning, health and well-being, and links to relevant reports.

Indigenous-Specific Resources | UBC Faculty of Medicine

History & Territories

BC Assembly of First Nations - Interactive Map
Explore BC's traditional territories through an interactive map and links to quick facts on locations, language, population.
First Nations Metis and Inuit Indigenous Ontology | CFLA
Resource developed by the Canadian Federation of Library Associations.
Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada (Online Book - Free)
"Indigenous perspectives much older than the nation itself shared through maps, artwork, history and culture."
National Aboriginal History Organization
"The National Aboriginal History Organization or NAHO is an internationally recognized research, publishing, and collection organization. We aim at promoting understanding of Aboriginal cultures, languages, stories, and traditions. Our website aims to connect with Aboriginal people and raise awareness about them."

In Plain Sight Report

Addressing Racism: An independent investigation into Indigenous-specific discrimination in B.C. health care
This report by Dr. Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond investigates racism against Indigenous peoples in British Columbia's health care system. The report reveals widespread discrimination and calls for improved cultural safety, increased Indigenous leadership in health services, and collaboration with Indigenous peoples to address these issues. It emphasizes the need for accountability and actions to remedy the lasting impacts of colonialism
In Plain Sight: Elaboration on the review | BC Medical Journal
The authors of In Plain Sight discuss the review on Indigenous-specific racism and discrimination in BC health care.

Articles

The Cedar Project: Racism and its impacts on health and wellbeing among young Indigenous people who use drugs in Prince George and Vancouver, BC Racism continues to drive health disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. This study focuses on racism experienced by young Indigenous people who have used drugs in British Columbia (BC), and predictors of interpersonal racism. Cedar Project is a community-governed cohort study involving young Indigenous people who use drugs in Vancouver and Prince George, BC. This cross-sectional study included data collected between August 2015-October 2016. The Measure of Indigenous Racism Experiences (MIRE) scale was used to assess experiences of interpersonal racism across 9 unique settings on a 5-point Likert scale, collapsing responses into three categories (none/low/high). Multinomial logistic regression models were used to examine associations between key variables and interpersonal racism. Among 321 participants, 79% (n = 255) experienced racism in at least one setting. Thirty two percent (n = 102) experienced high interpersonal racism from police, governmental agencies (child ‘welfare’, health personnel), and in public settings. Ever having a child apprehended (AOR:2.76, 95%CI:1.14–6.65), probable post-traumatic stress (AOR:2.64; 95%CI:1.08–6.46), trying to quit substances (AOR:3.69; 95%CI:1.04–13.06), leaving emergency room without receiving treatment (AOR:3.05; 95%CI:1.22–7.64), and having a traditional language spoken at home while growing up (AOR:2.86; 95%CI:1.90–6.90) were associated with high interpersonal racism. Among women, experiencing high interpersonal racism was more likely if they lived in Prince George (AOR:3.94; 95%CI:1.07–14.50), ever had a child apprehended (AOR:5.09; 95%CI:1.50–17.30), and had probable post-traumatic stress (AOR:5.21; 95%CI:1.43–18.95). Addressing racism experienced by Indigenous peoples requires immediate structural systemic, and interpersonal anti-racist reforms.
A decolonial perspective on Indigenous infant and early childhood mental health: Reclaiming Indigenous ways for the next seven generations Request an interlibrary loan for this item. Indigenous lifeways, perspectives, and ways of knowing in the field of infant and early childhood mental health are underrepresented, especially given the inequitable and unjust prevalence of removal and separation of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) children from their families and communities by the child welfare system in the United States. Strengthening the infant and early childhood mental health field requires uncovering and addressing the ways in which colonization has intentionally attempted to disrupt and destroy Indigenous family relationships, especially bonds with young children, both historically and perpetuated into the present day. The current article reviews the historical context of Indian child removal as a result of colonization, cultural revitalization efforts, and decolonial frameworks that inform culturally grounded intervention strategies advancing the field of infant and early childhood mental health. Decolonization is highlighted as integral for the reclamation of Indigenous caregiving practices. Community-based and Indigenous-led initiatives such as the Indian Child Welfare Act, Tribal home visiting, and breastfeeding programming are highlighted as diverse strengths-based approaches, informed by Indigenous scholarship to ensure the health and well-being of our future generations.
Decolonizing Impact Through the Culture-Centered Approach to Health Communication: Mobilizing Communities to Transform the Structural Determinants of Health Request an interlibrary loan for this item. In this issue, we outline the central tenets of the culture-centered approach to health communication. What does the culture-centered approach address when suggesting the co-creation of voice infrastructures? What is the theory's methodological emphasis for mobilizing and transforming structures that shape health inequalities for communities at the margins? Drawing on examples of culture-centered interventions in over fifty communities spread across 17 countries and three continents, a large number of them housed under the umbrella of the Center for Culture-centered Approach to Research and Evaluation (CARE) at Massey University in Aotearoa, New Zealand, we articulate the communicative processes (referring to actionable sources and targets of communicative action) that shape the building of voice infrastructures mobilizing toward structural transformation. For instance, African American communities organizing under the framework of the culture-centered approach, documented in Dutta, Collins, and colleagues study in 2019, discuss the building of voice infrastructures where community members participate in co-creating heart health information based on comparative effectiveness research, building an African American media ecosystem disseminating the information alongside community-led initiatives growing healthy food, community-led youth activities, and activism addressing the racist structural drivers that adversely impact African American heart health. In this essay, we describe the impact of culture-centered interventions reflected in the voice infrastructures within communities that witness and articulate the oppressions that threaten human health at the margins and in the transformations of these structures that organize various facets of life and livelihood at the global margins linked to health.
Developing Indigenous-Centered Healing, Health, and Wellness Frameworks to Strengthen Indigenous Health Systems, Decolonize Public Health, and Achieve Health Equity Request an interlibrary loan for this item. Over the past 20 years, national and global health initiatives have increasingly used resources, implemented tools, and proposed policies to change the social determinants of health contributing to health inequities. The World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Prevention and Control have applied their evidence-based frameworks to these efforts. Yet, for tribal nations and Indigenous communities in the United States, these frameworks' relevance and applicability are limited. The disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., incidence and mortality rates) highlighted Indigenous epistemologies and realities (e.g., tribal sovereignty, strained state-tribal health systems) that were either missing or did not conceptually fit in these social determinants of health frameworks. We describe findings from the 2018 to 2024 Indigenous Social Determinants of Health Project completed by Seven Directions, an Indigenous public health institute. We propose constructs for Indigenous healing, health, and wellness frameworks developed by and for tribal nations and Indigenous communities. Practitioners and policymakers may use these tailored frameworks in collaboration across sectors (e.g., public health, social services, behavioral health) to align systems for transformational change, decolonize public health, and achieve health equity.
Establishing a comprehensive search strategy for Indigenous health literature reviews Background Appropriate search strategies are essential to ensure the integrity and reproducibility of systematic and scoping reviews, as researchers seek to capture as many relevant resources as possible. In the case of Indigenous health reviews, researchers are met with the special challenge of creating a search strategy that can encompass this large, diverse population group with no universally agreed upon identification criteria.
The First Nations Health Authority's Self-Assessment Aligning With the British Columbia Cultural Safety and Humility Standard The First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) completed a self-assessment of the organization's alignment to the British Columbia Cultural Safety and Humility Standard in collaboration with Elder Th'et-simiya and a group of Sisemó:ya Change Champions from across the organization (FNHA and HSO 2022). This article details the organization's processes, including the determination and selection of methods, self-assessment tools used and the lessons learned throughout. Other health and social services organizations are encouraged to use these learnings to guide their own self-assessment processes for continuous learning and development.
Modelling change and cultural safety: A case study in northern British Columbia health system transformation The relationship that Indigenous Peoples have to the Canadian healthcare system makes the system’s weaknesses and complexities obvious. The long-standing lack of consideration to the historical and contemporary realities of Indigenous Peoples has resulted in miscommunication, misunderstanding, mistrust and racism. Health leaders, including health authorities, across the province are thus challenged to ensure that culturally safe environments are available and culturally safe practices are being used. This article begins with an overview of contemporary social political contexts in which Indigenous individual and collective realities are situated. Following is a conceptual discussion focused on health system change and the experiences of Indigenous Peoples. Change at structural, systemic and individual levels is the focus of the change model presented in this article. Throughout this exploration, examples of concrete actions currently underway in a health authority are offered. The article concludes with visions for future change.
Our learning journey: Creating continuing education courses for pharmacy team members on First Nations cultural safety and humility in British Columbia, Canada Systemic racism across healthcare systems perpetuates health disparities. While pharmacy curricula are changing, most pharmacy team members in Canada have received minimal to no training in First Nations cultural safety and humility. At the time this work was undertaken, no pharmacy-specific First Nations cultural safety and humility courses existed for practicing pharmacy team members. Description Two online interactive modules were developed for pharmacy team members in British Columbia, Canada. The first focuses on anti-racism and forming relationships built on trust with First Nations clients. The second focuses on how to approach pharmacy-specific interactions with First Nations clients. Both modules leverage the CARE framework (being Considerate, Aware, Respectful, Empowering). Content was guided by a First Nations advisory group. A pharmacy advisory group helped ensure teachings could be actioned by pharmacy team members.
Physical Therapists' Perspectives on the Use of Telehealth With First Nations Peoples in Canada: A Qualitative Study This study aims to explore physical therapists’ perspectives on providing physical therapy to First Nations peoples in Canada via telehealth, specifically to understand (1) their perspectives on the feasibility of telehealth as a medium for health care delivery and (2) their experiences building trusting therapeutic relationships via telehealth care.
Relational Work Is the Work: Virtual Healthcare Transformation for Rural, Remote and First Nations Communities in British Columbia The healthcare crisis across unceded First Nations' territories in rural, remote and Indigenous communities in British Columbia (BC) is marked by persistent barriers to accessing care and support close to home. This commentary describes an exceptional story of how technology, trusted partnerships and relationships came together to create an innovative suite of virtual care programs called “Real-Time Virtual Support” (RTVS). We describe key approaches, learnings and future considerations to improve the equity of healthcare delivery for rural, remote and First Nations communities. The key lessons include the following: (1) moving beyond a biomedical model – the collaboration framework for health service design incorporated First Nations' perspective on health and wellness; (2) relational work is the work – the RTVS collaboration was grounded in building connections and relationships to prioritize cultivating trust in the partnership over specific outputs; and (3) aligning to the core values of co-creation – working from a commitment to do things differently and applying an inclusive approach of engagement to integrate perspectives across different sectors and interest groups.
Scale up of the learning circles: a participatory action approach to support local food systems in four diverse First Nations school communities within Canada Addressing Indigenous food security and food sovereignty calls for community-driven strategies to improve access to and availability of traditional and local food. Participatory approaches that integrate Indigenous leadership have supported successful program implementation. Learning Circles: Local Healthy Food to School is a participatory program that convenes a range of stakeholders including food producers, educators and Knowledge Keepers to plan, implement and monitor local food system action. Pilot work (2014–2015) in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia (BC), showed promising results of the Learning Circles (LC) approach in enhancing local and traditional food access, knowledge and skills among youth and adolescents. The objective of the current evaluation was therefore to examine the process of scaling-up the LC vertically within the Haida Nation; and horizontally across three diverse First Nations contexts: Gitxsan Nation, Hazelton /Upper Skeena, BC; Ministikwan Lake Cree Nation, Saskatchewan; and Black River First Nation, Manitoba between 2016 and 2019.

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