Grant: SPOR SUPPORT Unit Phase II - Northwest Territories

Created through a collaborative partnership of Indigenous peoples' governments and the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT), the NWT SPOR SUPPORT Unit, Hotii ts'eeda (HT) (Pronounced: Ho-tea tsay-duh) in the Tlicho language means "Working together for good health in a way that we leave each other in a state of grace." HT differs from other SUPPORT Units in its responsive focus to Indigenous peoples' needs, based on the reality that Indigenous peoples in the NWT suffer far greater health disparities than their non-Indigenous counterparts. This situation is intimately linked to colonization impacts, which are ongoing, and which require both acute interventions and broader health system and societal shifts, necessitating United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) implementation as a basis for creating culturally safe health system values, learning priorities, policies, norms, and professional practice. Through a decentralized model with staff based in organizations in Yellowknife, Inuvik, and Deline, HT will continue to build on its strong Indigenous health focus to advise on and foster best practices for Indigenous engagement among other SPOR SUPPORT Units. Through these measures, HT will leverage strengthened networks and results to support the development of a viable sustainability plan beyond phase two, to ensure its Indigenous-focused POR initiatives create a legacy of greater Indigenous governance of health programs and POR as a basis for improved long-term health outcomes for the NWT population.