Indigenous Patient Navigators

Indigenous Patient Navigators (IPNs) are important members of health-care teams, working in hospitals and primary care settings to support Indigenous Peoples and their families throughout their health-care journey. Having an IPN as part of the care team helps create a safe and welcoming space where Indigenous Peoples feel heard, respected, and supported.

IPNs play a vital role in improving the care experience for Indigenous patients and families. They provide cultural, emotional, and practical support, helping people navigate the health-care system, reduce barriers to care, and access the services they need. Their work supports whole-person wellness by addressing physical, emotional, mental, and cultural needs.

Whether or not you choose to self-identify as Indigenous, IPNs are available to support you. The goal of an IPN is to help make your health-care experience and journey to wellness safer, more comfortable, and easier to navigate.

View locations where Indigenous Patient Navigators are available

IPNs are available to support your care journey and make it less stressful for you and your family. Any member of your care team, including your doctor or nurse, can refer you to an IPN. You can also request that an IPN be part of your care team at any point during your care. IPNs are available to support both patients and clients, and health-care providers with:

For patients and clients:

• Help patients understand and access health services
• Provide connections to spiritual services
• Provide advocacy and emotional support work as part of the multidisciplinary team
• To connect to services on discharge

For health-care providers:

• Provide knowledge about cultural and spiritual practices
• Help identify and eliminate barriers to health-care services
• Link Indigenous services with non‑Indigenous services

IPNs who are located in Mental Health & Substance Use (MHSU) locations (Kamloops, Merritt, Williams Lake & Creston), will help to connect you or your family to the right MHSU service (counselling, substance use services and withdrawal management (detox)) and support access to cultural resources where requested.

• View locations where Indigenous Patient Navigators are available
• Listen to the Interior Voices podcast episodes on Indigenous Patient Navigators
• Explore information and resources for Indigenous Peoples, families, and communities

We welcome your reflections, feedback, and suggestions as we continue to strengthen the information shared here. Your perspectives help guide ongoing improvements and ensure the content remains relevant and meaningful. While all submissions will be reviewed with care, we may not be able to respond to each one individually.

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