Community. Tradition.Wellness.
The Indian Health Board of Minneapolis serves our community with a range of medical services grounded in Native American culture and tradition. Our approach is inspired by what the Dakota call “mitákuye oyás’iŋ” – the understanding that true wellness embraces family, community, nature, and spirit as one interconnected whole.
Our Story
In 1971, the Indian Health Board of Minneapolis opened its doors in the Phillips Neighborhood. Our founding came after a local Ojibwe woman named Gloria lost her life due to negligent treatment rooted in racial discrimination. Activists refused to let Gloria’s suffering go unnoticed, sparking the creation of the Indian Health Board – ensuring that urban Indians had access to healthcare that recognized their unique challenges, traditions, and needs.
Our Approach
We welcome everyone with the same dedication and respect. Our healthcare professionals bring diverse cultural and educational backgrounds to provide integrated care in a comfortable environment for patients of all backgrounds, ages, and communities. We emphasize preventative care and work with each patient to develop personalized care and lifestyle plans that address physical, mental, and behavioral health in culturally responsive ways.
What is an Urban Indian?
Urban Indians are tribal people living outside federally-defined tribal lands in cities and towns. Over the past century, American Indian and Alaska Native people moved to urban areas – sometimes by choice, often through forced government relocation – seeking opportunity and essential services that were limited on tribal lands. Today, seven out of 10 American Indians and Alaska Natives live in urban settings.
Our Mission
To ensure access to quality health care services for American Indians and other people, and to promote health education and wellness.
Our Vision
To be the best place for Indigenous people to achieve the highest level of health and wellness through culturally grounded care.
Our Core Values
Mino-Inawendiwin (Ojibwe) / Da Ya Unk Unpi (Dakota)
Good Relationships guide everything we do:
- Respect for Culture – Honoring Indigenous heritage while welcoming all with compassion.
- Excellence – Pursuing the highest standards in all we do.
- Leadership – Leading through collaboration and respect.
Indigenous Healthcare Services
To serve local American Indian and Alaska Native communities seeking traditional care, we provide sacred medicines like sage, cedar, tobacco, and sweetgrass, alongside cultural practices including hand drumming and singing.
Guided by traditional beliefs and practices, we approach healthcare as a complete system that has ensured mind, body, and spirit remain balanced for thousands of years. Traditional medicine anchors everything we do.
Community Partnerships
The Indian Health Board of Minneapolis grows stronger through collaboration. Our partnerships with community organizations, cultural leaders, and forward-thinking institutions help us deliver comprehensive care, preserve Indigenous knowledge, and ensure accessible health services that reflect who we are.
Board & Leadership
Indian Health Board of Minneapolis’s executive leadership and board of directors are responsible for the organization’s growth and future direction, while ensuring its day-to-day operations remain grounded in its values.
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