Local partner: California Consortium for Unban Indian Health
Country: United States (California)
Background and objective
The California Consortium for Urban Indian Health’s work and progress toward bringing attention to the value of American Indian/Alaskan Natives (AIAN) traditional healing practices in behavioral health is significant. CCUIH has worked to bring together behavioral health and primary care providers, traditional healers, healthcare administrators, Tribal Council Members, and community leaders to develop sustainable strategies of integration of Traditional Healing Practices into the healthcare system.
CCUIH will host a three-day event at a campsite in the San Francisco bay area, Ohlone territory. During the gathering CCUIH will initiate education and information sessions with the AIAN community around food sovereignty, environmental and cultural health, and how this ties to the land and traditional healing. There is no established traditional healer network within California and there is an urgent need for traditional healers continue to grow. To address this, CCUIH will initiate the planning of a curriculum, credentialing, and protocol for traditional healers. The need for creating viable systems to compensate traditional healers is immense as they can no longer exclusively sustain themselves or the traditions of cultural healing through tobacco, food or firewood offerings.
Local partner information
The California Consortium for Urban Indian Health (CCUIH) supports health promotion and access for American Indians living in cities throughout California. Established in 2006, CCUIH is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) statewide alliance of Urban Indian health organizations (UIHO). UIHOs are distinct from the other Indian Health Service (IHS) and tribal health care programs on or near reservations. While authorized by the federal government, and in contract with the IHS, UIHOs are nonprofit, independent, American Indian controlled organizations.
