Under the dusky glow of a nighttime forest scene projected on the RMSC Strasenburgh Planetarium dome, the Indigenous Health Coalition marked its first year anniversary addressing Indigenous health equity for the region and across upstate New York.
Coalition members shared the story of how they formed the coalition in 2023 after two and a half years spent building relationships with Common Ground Health and the Indigenous community. They gave an update on their work’s focus and shared their new mission, vision, and logo. Community members had the chance to engage with the coalition, and consider what they might be able to do, both personally and professionally, to contribute to the coalition’s efforts.
Ronalyn “Ronnie” Pollack, of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation/Six Nations of the Grand River, said coalition members were very intentional in moving forward with the work, but progress happened organically.
“When you allow and trust the process, it works,” she said. Now that we have our mission, check; vision, check; goals, and values, we feel like we can sit back and be excited about the next things to come.”
The coalition’s roots grew out of relationship- and trust-building work that began in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Common Ground Health committed to continued work to address health inequities with Indigenous populations, starting with a listening tour.
During a series of interviews from spring 2022 to spring 2023 members of the Indigenous community identified unmet health and well-being needs for their people. Interviewees identified mental health, stemming from centuries of intergenerational trauma, as a top priority. They also cited a lack of data and visibility, access to culturally competent health care, access to quality health care and collaboration across Indigenous communities as the top barriers to addressing Indigenous health inequities. For existing assets, they named their Traditional methods of healing and cultural practices, as essential elements for moving forward.
The coalition was established as a first step to create a space for collaboration across Indigenous communities, where representatives from varying Tribal affiliations and lived experiences can co-create solutions together.
In the past year, the coalition has begun prioritizing work in three areas, which they refer to as their “baskets of health”. These are: ensuring access to holistic health and wellness opportunities, including Traditional methods of healing; promoting
better data for Indigenous populations, including better representation, consistency and accuracy in data; and advocacy and awareness to promote visibility.
“We settled on three specific areas where we felt like we could make some immediate and specific impact,” said Todd Michel Waite, a member of the Seneca Nation (Bear Clan).
Coalition members are now developing goals and outcomes for the work in each basket.
“Today starts a new journey,” Waite said. “We’ve got the foundation and now we begin again to start to fill those baskets with good medicine.”
