National Aboriginal Health Organization

The National Aboriginal Health Organization (NAHO) was a Canadian not-for-profit organization created to improve the health and well-being of Aboriginal Peoples through Aboriginal-led knowledge development, education, research, and dissemination. Incorporated in 2000, it operated with core funding from Health Canada and focused on the distinct health circumstances of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities. NAHO used “Aboriginal Peoples” in the constitutional sense associated with sections 25 and 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, encompassing those three population groups. NAHO’s role was primarily that of a national knowledge and policy organization rather than a direct clinical-care provider. Its objectives included improving understanding of health issues affecting Aboriginal Peoples, supporting research, encouraging Aboriginal participation in health-care delivery, promoting culturally appropriate health services, and affirming and protecting traditional healing practices. Its work brought together traditional Aboriginal approaches to health and wellness with contemporary Western medical and public-health perspectives. The organization was governed by a 13-member board. Eight directors were appointed through four national Aboriginal organizations: the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the Métis National Council, and the Native Women's Association of Canada. Five further directors were elected by the appointed board members. This governance model was intended to preserve Aboriginal direction and representation in the organization’s priorities. NAHO’s work was organized through three population-focused centres: the First Nations Centre, the Inuit centre known as Inuit Tuttarvingat, and the Métis Centre. The Inuit centre had previously been known as the Ajunnginiq Centre. These units addressed the different cultural, geographic, linguistic, and health-system contexts of their respective communities while contributing to the organization’s national mandate. Its projects and publications addressed subjects including suicide prevention, healthy living, midwifery, traditional health and healing, and broader Aboriginal health-care issues. NAHO also published research and educational material online and contributed presentations to conferences and professional discussions. One of its notable publishing initiatives was the Journal of Aboriginal Health, a peer-reviewed open-access journal established in 2004 that carried original research, editorials, and further-reading recommendations from multiple perspectives. NAHO’s federal core funding was eliminated in the 2012 Canadian federal budget. As a result, the organization ceased operations on June 30, 2012. Its closure ended the work of a national Aboriginal-controlled health knowledge institution, although many of the issues it addressed—health inequities, self-determination, culturally safe care, traditional healing, and community participation—remained central to Canadian Aboriginal health policy and research.

The National Aboriginal Health Organization was incorporated in Canada in 2000 as an Aboriginal-designed and -controlled not-for-profit body. It was established to support national work on the health and well-being of Aboriginal Peoples, using knowledge generation, research, education, and dissemination rather than operating as a conventional hospital, clinic, or commercial health-care brand. Its mandate covered the three population groups recognized in the organization’s use of the constitutional term Aboriginal Peoples: First Nations, Inuit, and Métis. NAHO received core funding from Health Canada. This funding enabled it to conduct and distribute research, develop educational material, support dialogue on health policy, and promote greater understanding of the health conditions and service needs affecting Aboriginal communities. Its approach combined traditional Aboriginal healing and wellness knowledge with contemporary Western health and public-health methods. A central principle was that Aboriginal people should participate meaningfully in the development and delivery of health services affecting their communities. The organization’s governance structure reflected this emphasis on Aboriginal control. Its board comprised 13 directors. Eight were appointed by four national Aboriginal organizations: the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the Métis National Council, and the Native Women's Association of Canada. The remaining five directors were elected by the appointed directors. This arrangement provided representation across the major national Aboriginal constituencies while giving the organization a formal mechanism for community-linked leadership. Operationally, NAHO was divided into three centres. The First Nations Centre addressed First Nations health priorities. The Inuit unit, initially called the Ajunnginiq Centre and later known as Inuit Tuttarvingat, focused on Inuit health and wellness. The Métis Centre addressed Métis-specific needs and perspectives. The centres enabled NAHO to combine a national mandate with attention to the different cultural, regional, demographic, and health-system realities of the communities they served. NAHO’s projects covered a broad set of health issues. Areas identified in descriptions of its work include suicide prevention, healthy living, midwifery, traditional health and healing, and other questions concerning Aboriginal health-care delivery. The organization disseminated research through its website and participated in conferences and professional events. These activities positioned it as an intermediary between Aboriginal communities, researchers, health professionals, policy-makers, and the wider public. In 2004, NAHO established the Journal of Aboriginal Health. The journal was peer reviewed and open access, and published original research, editorials, and recommendations for further reading. Its guest-editor model allowed different issues to draw on varied perspectives and subject expertise. The journal formed part of NAHO’s broader effort to increase the visibility of Aboriginal health scholarship and make relevant knowledge accessible. NAHO’s institutional existence ended after the Canadian federal government removed its core funding in the 2012 federal budget. Without that funding base, the organization ceased operations on June 30, 2012. The closure marked the end of a national Aboriginal-controlled organization dedicated specifically to health knowledge and advocacy. Its former areas of work—health inequities, culturally safe services, traditional healing, suicide prevention, community participation, and Aboriginal self-determination—continued to be important subjects in Canadian health research and policy after its dissolution.

• 2012

  Core funding eliminated and operations ended

  [1]National Aboriginal Health Organizationen.wikipedia.org

  The 2012 Canadian federal budget eliminated NAHO’s core funding, and the organization ceased operations on June 30 of that year.

• 2004

  Journal of Aboriginal Health established

  [1]National Aboriginal Health Organizationen.wikipedia.org

  NAHO launched a peer-reviewed open-access journal devoted to Aboriginal health research, commentary, and knowledge sharing.

• 2000

  Organization incorporated

  [1]National Aboriginal Health Organizationen.wikipedia.org

  The National Aboriginal Health Organization was incorporated in Canada as an Aboriginal-designed and -controlled not-for-profit health organization.

Aboriginal-designed and -controlled national health knowledge organization focused on research, education, culturally relevant care, traditional healing, and Aboriginal participation in health-care decision-making.

• Academic journal · 2004

  Journal of Aboriginal Health

  A peer-reviewed, open-access medical and health journal established by NAHO in 2004. It published original research, editorials, and recommendations for further reading on Aboriginal health. Guest editors assembled issues drawing on different research and community perspectives, supporting NAHO’s role in expanding access to Aboriginal health knowledge.

• Health knowledge centre

  First Nations Centre

  One of NAHO’s three population-focused centres. It developed and shared health information concerning First Nations communities and contributed to the organization’s wider objectives in research, education, culturally relevant care, and Aboriginal participation in health services.

• Inuit health knowledge centre

  Inuit Tuttarvingat

  NAHO’s Inuit-focused centre, formerly known as the Ajunnginiq Centre. It addressed Inuit health and wellness priorities and supported knowledge sharing that reflected Inuit communities’ distinct cultural, geographic, and health-care contexts.

• Health knowledge centre

  Métis Centre

  The centre responsible for Métis-focused health knowledge and activities within NAHO. It contributed to research, education, and dissemination concerning Métis health and the development of culturally relevant approaches.

• Suicide prevention initiatives

  Canada

  NAHO undertook projects addressing suicide prevention among Aboriginal Peoples as part of its broader health promotion and knowledge-sharing mandate.

  Source
• Healthy living initiatives

  Canada

  The organization developed or supported work concerning healthy living and wellness in Aboriginal communities, combining community-relevant knowledge with contemporary health perspectives.

  Source
• Traditional health and healing initiatives

  Canada

  NAHO promoted recognition and protection of Aboriginal traditional healing practices and explored their relationship with broader health and wellness systems.

  Source
• Midwifery initiatives

  Canada

  Midwifery was among the health-care subjects addressed through NAHO projects and knowledge activities.

  Source

• 2012

  Cessation of operations following funding lossOther

  Background

  NAHO relied on core funding from Health Canada to conduct its national health knowledge and dissemination activities.

  Action taken

  After the 2012 federal budget eliminated its core funding, NAHO ended operations on June 30, 2012.

  Aftermath

  The organization became defunct, ending its national program of Aboriginal-controlled health research, education, and knowledge sharing.

  Source

• 2004

  Launch of the Journal of Aboriginal HealthProduct launch

  Background

  NAHO sought to strengthen Aboriginal health research and make relevant scholarship more visible and accessible.

  Action taken

  It established a peer-reviewed open-access journal publishing research, editorials, and further-reading material.

  Source

1. 1National Aboriginal Health Organizationen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Archived National Aboriginal Health Organization websiteweb.archive.org