Indigenous Health Navigation – Uitshieu / Ikayuktu

Indigenous navigators are people of Indigenous origins who, while not health professionals, are responsible for helping Indigenous individuals navigate the complexities of the system. Their role is to create a safer space and establish a bond of trust in order to better understand people’s needs and the obstacles they face in accessing care in the public health system. In this way, they help to ensure adapted care and facilitate the coordination of care offered.

The navigation team collaborates with nurses from the mobile clinic and the outreach clinic who provide ad hoc nursing services, including:

• Vaccination
• Screening for sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBI)
• Wound care
• Advice and distribution of harm reduction materials – substance abuse component

The Clinic also enables them to create a link with these people, sometimes struggling with mental health or substance abuse problems, and to refer them to community organizations, doctors and health professionals with whom they can develop a relationship of trust. This approach establishes a bridge between these people and the public health system.

Mobile Clinics schedule