The Toronto Indigenous Health Advisory Circle (TIHAC): Advancing self-determined Indigenous health
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This document shares the story of the Toronto Indigenous Health Advisory Circle (TIHAC). Formed in January 2015, TIHAC represents a collaboration between Toronto Indigenous leaders and non-Indigenous health-focused organizations, including Toronto Public Health and the Toronto Central Local Health Integration Network.
TIHAC provides recommendations on how to improve health outcomes for Indigenous Peoples in Toronto and offers broader policy and advocacy direction to improve the social determinants of Indigenous health. This case story details TIHAC’s work over a period of 15 months, during which it created Toronto’s first self-determined Indigenous health strategy, released in 2016 – A reclamation of well being: Visioning a thriving and healthy urban Indigenous community.
This case story focuses on TIHAC’s work up to the release of the strategy, highlighting how TIHAC was formed, and identifying mechanisms leading to its success. Its purpose is to share TIHAC’s experience as a template for:
- Indigenous and non-Indigenous co-learning and partnership
- design and delivery of Indigenous self-determined public and acute health services and practices; and
- policy development to improve the conditions of Indigenous Peoples’ daily lives
Use this resource to:
- identify good practices for working to improve Indigenous health opportunities and outcomes;
- foster Indigenous-determined approaches to strengthening and indigenizing health systems;
- support the creation of self-determining Indigenous health advisory bodies to work in partnership with non-Indigenous government health agencies; and
- deepen your understanding of the social determinants of Indigenous health.
Reference
Toronto Indigenous Health Advisory Circle, National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health, MUSKRAT Media. (2019). The Toronto Indigenous Health Advisory Circle (TIHAC): Advancing Self-Determined Indigenous Health. Antigonish, NS: National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health, St. Francis Xavier University.
Tags: Collaboration, Indigenous health, Partner with other sectors, Document, Case Study