By Piper Fordham

Coming Together: How Relationships and Shared Vision Shaped This Work
This research project did not begin with a single idea or institution, it began with relationships. It was shaped by a shared vision for health and wellness in Dawson City, and by the combined efforts of community members, healthcare providers, and organizations committed to creating culturally grounded care. What would later become the Supporting Access to Care study was built from conversations, connections, and a collective recognition that more could be done to support Indigenous people in healthcare spaces.

The initial threads of this work emerged from multiple directions. At the Dawson City Community Hospital (DCCH), healthcare providers were already exploring ways to make their services more culturally welcoming. Their team expressed a strong desire to Indigenize the hospital, both the physical space and the care offered within it, while emphasizing the importance of working in partnership with Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in citizens.

Simultaneously, a group of Elders and Knowledge Keepers in Dawson were coming together around a similar vision. In early 2023, they established Gu Nähtsey (the Hän term for “the plants we all pick/harvest”) with the goal of strengthening health through plant medicine and Indigenous healing methods. What began as seasonal gatherings to share teachings and harvest medicines soon expanded into broader discussions about Indigenous health priorities, including how Indigenous healing methods could be supported within hospital settings.

Meanwhile, YSPOR’s (Yukon Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research) First Nations Community Research Coordinator in Dawson City was actively building relationships across these groups, supporting capacity development, exploring ways to foster respectful collaboration between Indigenous and Western knowledge systems. As part of this work, YSPOR introduced its Junior Researcher Program to support youth and early-career researchers interested in community-led health research.

It was through this program that I first became involved. At the time, I was working with the Yukon First Nation Education Directorate and had already begun exploring questions around health, wellness, and ceremony. I viewed the opportunity to join YSPOR’s Junior Researcher Program as a chance to grow both personally and professionally through work that mattered to me.

Through my role at YSPOR, I joined Gu Nähtsey’s workshops and gatherings, where I had the opportunity to learn directly from Elders and Knowledge Keepers about local plant medicines, their preparation, and their role in supporting community wellness. These gatherings were hands-on and offered teachings rooted in land-based knowledge and lived experience. In parallel, I conducted a literature review focused on the four sacred medicines: sweetgrass, sage, tobacco, and cedar, to better understand their significance across various Indigenous Nations and their connection to ceremony.

Around the same time, I had the opportunity to tour the Dawson City Community Hospital alongside members of their team. They spoke openly about their goals to make the hospital a more culturally safe and inclusive space. What stood out to me was their thoughtful approach, their willingness to listen, and their commitment to ensuring the work would be guided by the community.

Conversations across groups began to intersect. In partnership with YSPOR, I helped coordinate and lead Gu Nähtsey meetings and workshops. During that time, I met with the CEO of Yukon Hospitals, with support from YSPOR, to discuss the work Gu Nähtsey was undertaking to introduce plant medicines into the hospital’s medicine cabinet. That conversation sparked a broader dialogue about healthcare in Dawson, leading to early discussions on five guiding themes: plant medicine, food, cultural expression, ceremony, and space. These themes were later further developed with Gu Nähtsey and became the foundation for the research study we would go on to co-develop.

Over time, Gu Nähtsey became more than advisors, they became mentors. They contributed directly to the research process, reviewed questions to ask the community, and ensured that the work remained grounded in cultural knowledge and community priorities. The DCCH team provided insight from a provider perspective, helped support participant recruitment, and continue to support efforts to implement the study’s recommendations, where possible, in collaboration with YSPOR and Gu Nähtsey. YSPOR offered guidance and mentorship throughout, helping me learn how to lead and engage meaningfully with community, and grow as a researcher.

What brought this project to life was not any single initiative, but the intersection of many. Gu Nähtsey’s vision, DCCH’s commitment, YSPOR’s support, and my own growing involvement each brought something distinct to the table. Together, they formed the foundation for a collaborative, community-driven research project rooted in respect, relationships, and shared purpose.

Working Together: Putting Health Priorities and Perspectives into Words

Over the past two years, my role as a YSPOR Researcher has been shaped and guided by the voices of the community. Through this role, I have developed skills in research methodologies and community engagement, particularly balancing and creating advocacy through Two-Eyed Seeing. With one eye, a Western take on academic research creating questionnaires, frameworks, and conducting literature reviews and data analysis. With the other eye, having an Indigenous approach through storytelling, building relationships with people alongside a cup of tea and laughter, connecting with Elders for guidance, and being an active listener to the community.

I came to understand that meaningful research goes beyond data collection; it must reflect the community’s needs and serve its well-being. This project belongs to the community and is shaped by the Indigenous Peoples of Dawson City.

The core theme explored was how Indigenous and Western healing systems could work together in a hospital setting and how we can introduce or support Indigenous healing methods such as plant medicine, nutrition, and ceremonial practices to strengthen the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health of the community.

While all these conversations and initiatives with organizations were happening, the most crucial conversation occurred when we brought them to the community. It started with many sharing a strong interest and expressing how incorporating Indigenous teas and salves made from plant medicines can significantly improve their level of comfort and well-being in a healthcare setting. Many respondents, the majority being Elders, shared that they were tired of taking medication and wanted simpler, more natural options to offer gentle alternatives or complements to pharmaceutical care.

As conversations around nutrition, ceremony, and cultural expression (art, song, and stories) within the hospital continued, we discovered a profound overlap in the importance of making Indigenous healing practices accessible in healthcare settings. We realized how something as simple as being offered a traditional meal or tea, a dedicated space for ceremony, or even an outdoor area to reconnect with the land can profoundly influence an individual’s response to healthcare. Integrating Indigenous healing methods not only
enhances the health and well-being of Indigenous Peoples but also serves as a crucial step toward reconciliation within the healthcare system, helping to dismantle systemic racism.

From these conversations, a set of strong and consistent themes emerged—highlighting what matters most to community members when it comes to receiving care:

  • 90% said that having Indigenous healing services in the hospital would help their healing journey, and 86% said it would make them feel more comfortable during their stay.
  • 95% of participants expressed interest in accessing Indigenous plant medicines such as teas, salves, and tinctures.
  • 75% wanted access to an Indigenous-dedicated cultural space for prayer, ceremony, and quiet reflection.
  • Nearly 90% of respondents supported integrating Indigenous meals into hospital nutrition, favoring local and traditional foods such as wild game, fish, and berries.
  • 81% of respondents stated they would be inclined to access the DCCH if the hospital offered Indigenous Healing methods

These conversations led to a set of recommendations informed by the community’s insights and feedback to shape a healthcare environment prioritizing cultural safety, humility, and competency.

Growing Together: Carrying the Work Forward

Looking back, this project was never just about research; to me, it was to support fellow Yukon First Nations, raise their voices, and empower healthy change through collaboration. Conversing with Elders and community members about their struggles and pains through the healthcare system, I could not help but pause to reflect on mine. Growing up, I spent a lot of time in and out of the hospital visiting my grandfather, who had cancer and was a residential school survivor. During his final years before being hospitalized, he lived traditionally; living off the land on a small island in his little log cabin on our family trap line a couple of hours out of Teslin. I constantly reflect on the shock of having to make that adjustment from two polar opposite environments, especially as a survivor. I reflect on how his and my family’s experience could have been vastly different if, say, a simple traditional meal or tea had been offered. I could not help but wonder if other Yukon First Nations had experienced the same thing and, sure enough, through connections, conversations, and relationships… there was.

At its heart, this work has been about uplifting Indigenous voices in the healthcare system and contributing to conversations that can help inform policies affecting our health and well-being. In my heart, it is to advocate for what I wish my grandfather and family had during that hardship.

I have grown so much throughout this process. I have developed stronger communication skills, the ability to engage with diverse perspectives, and a deeper appreciation for the strength of community-led work. Starting as a Junior Researcher and growing into a Research Assistant, I have learned that research should not be led by one voice; it should be shaped by many. Research guided by a range of lived experiences and cultural perspectives leads to more meaningful insights and more lasting, community-rooted change.

An implementation action plan is being developed in partnership with the Yukon First Nations Health Program, DCCH, and YSPOR. Meetings are planned for later this spring to begin implementing the recommendations outlined in the study, with support from all three groups.

This work is also helping to inform a new Traditional Indigenous Medicines Research Study being launched in Whitehorse. Building on the frameworks and learnings from Dawson, this project will explore how to support culturally grounded care in the Whitehorse General Hospital and the Kwanlin Dün Health Centre. The research carries the same ideologies of supporting Indigenous healing methods such as plant medicine, nutrition, and ceremonial practices, to strengthen the community’s physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health and how to begin implementing them in a good way.

None of this would have been possible without the many people who contributed their knowledge, time, and care. I want to express a deep thank you to the Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and community members of Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in; to Gu Nähtsey for their mentorship and vision; to the team at Dawson City Community Hospital and Yukon Hospitals for their openness and support; and to the entire YSPOR team for their guidance, encouragement, and belief in community-led research. Thank you to Jamie Thomas and Michelle Leach at YSPOR for their unwavering support and helping me bring the project to life. I am honored to have walked alongside everyone who was involved in this project.

Our journey does not end here. This work adds to ongoing efforts toward culturally safe, community-driven health research, and I hope it continues to inspire thoughtful conversations and future initiatives.

To all my relations.

You can view the full final report on YSPOR’s website here.