Indigenous health organizations, Indigenous community resurgence, and the reclamation of place in urban areas

Abstract

Research around the world has been nearly unanimous about the positive impacts of Indigenous-led health organizations on Indigenous peoples' qualitative experiences in health care, in the face of often negative experiences in non-Indigenous-led health care settings. Urban environments, including health care environments, are areas of increasing attention with regard to Indigenous peoples' health in Canada. In this study, which took place in the northern city of Prince George, British Columbia, 65 Indigenous community members and health services workers participated in interviews and focus groups, describing their experiences with urban Indigenous-led health organizations—defined in this study as non-governmental organizations that prioritize the values and practices of local Indigenous communities. Employing perspectives on place and relationships drawn from Indigenous critical theory and Indigenous community resurgence to analyze the findings of this qualitative study leads to a focus on how relationships impact and can even constitute places, enabling new understandings of the roles of Indigenous-led health organizations in urban Indigenous community resurgence.