Traditional healing methods and knowledge are a pathway to empowerment and health for Indigenous Peoples and communities. Yet, challenges persist in accessing Traditional Indigenous Medicine (TIM) in healthcare. Barriers exist due to a lack of formal recognition in Western medicine, concerns about cultural sensitivity and appropriation, and limited research supporting the incorporation of Indigenous healing practices. Addressing these challenges requires community-informed changes to ensure respectful, accessible, and culturally safe access to holistic healing in the healthcare setting.

Collaborating Organizations

• YSPOR
• Yukon First Nations Health Program (YFNHP)
• Yukon Hospital Corporation
• Kwanlin Dün Health Centre – Natsékhi Kù
• Yukon University
• Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

The Project

This project builds on the “Supporting Access to Care: Impact of Cultural Services Provided at Dawson City Community Hospital on the Health and Wellbeing of Indigenous People Living in Dawson City” project that was led by YSPOR and co-developed in partnership with the Indigenous community of Dawson City, specifically through collaboration with Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Wellness and the community medicine working group, Gu Nähtsey. The project in Dawson City began as a response to calls from several groups and community members looking to improve health and wellness for Indigenous Peoples in the area. Following its completion, there was expressed interest and need for similar work to occur in the Whitehorse area.

Piper Fordham and Sylas Itsi will be supporting the project in Whitehorse. Piper is a Teslin Tlingit First Nation citizen working as a Research Assistant for YSPOR. She is leading community research and is connecting with people with lived experience to help inform and guide the project. Sylas is a Junior Researcher and Vuntut and Tetlit Gwich’in First Nations citizen. He is working with healthcare service providers to understand their role in supporting access to Indigenous methods of healing. Piper and Silas are supported in this work by Dr. Michelle Leach, YSPOR’s Scientific Director.

The project is guided by Knowledge Keepers, youth, Elders and healthcare providers to ensure respectful revitalization and translation of traditional knowledge. The project’s advisory group brings together individuals from a range of backgrounds and perspectives, including:

Questionnaires and in-depth conversations will be carried out with community members and healthcare providers to help identify ways to support Indigenous access to culturally relevant care.

The insights and stories shared by people with lived experience will aid in building policies and practices that foster a culturally safe, competent and overall, a more comfortable environment for Indigenous Peoples in a healthcare setting.

Connecting and engaging with healthcare providers will shape an understanding of how knowledge gathered can be applied directly to programs and services to be able to support both ends of healthcare interactions.

Relevance:   

This project takes a collaborative approach to ensure Indigenous voices are central to guiding the development and implementation of the project at every step. The team is working closely with partners to help guide best practices for offering cultural programs in healthcare settings.

The health disparities Indigenous communities face are not just statistics, they are lived experiences. This project is about uplifting those voices and fostering policies and practices that reflect and respond to them. 

Research findings will be shared in a report with the YFNHP, the Kwanlin Dün Health Centre – Natsékhi Kù, and partnering Yukon First Nations. The report will encompass the insights and feedback from community and healthcare service providers that shape a healthcare environment prioritizing cultural safety, humility, and competency in the voice of Indigenous individuals, families and service providers in care.

These efforts will ensure that findings are widely shared and applied to support healthcare improvements across the territory. The project will also be presented at the annual YSPOR Summit, providing all Yukon First Nations the opportunity to engage with and an opportunity to discuss the research.

Next Steps

The project is still in its early stages, and the team is currently focused on developing methods to engage with the community in a respectful and meaningful way. The aim is to begin engagement in the latter part of the summer (2025), starting in Whitehorse by speaking with individuals who are accessing care at Whitehorse General Hospital or the Kwanlin Dün First Nation Health Centre.

As relationships continue to be built with Yukon First Nations, the team acknowledges that research engagement looks different for every Nation and every community. We are committed to honoring these differences and ensuring that all engagement is carried out in a culturally safe, respectful, and community-informed manner.