Urban Indigenous Communities Transforming Health Care: “Where We Feel Safe and Where Our People Are Working”

Indigenous knowledge and traditional wellness approaches combined with western health services are increasingly being identified as critical for Indigenous Peoples’ overall health and wellness in Canada. In this article, we share how an Urban Indigenous Collective Governance Circle led to transformational actions responding to community-voiced priorities, and co-development, delivery, evaluation, and sustainability of urban holistic traditional and western Indigenous diabetes and healthy weight programs. This resulted in increased access to, and ownership and leadership of, strengths-based, equitable, culturally safe, and distinctive diabetes and obesity wellness services in urban communities. The use of this holistic approach inclusive of traditional and western knowledge could be used to shape culturally safe, equitable, strength-based, site-specific intervention research, policies, and practice for other communities interested in diabetes, obesity, other chronic disease, and health care provision.