Who We Are:
The Indian Health Board of Minneapolis is a community health clinic that provides primary medical care, dental services, mental and behavioral health, and recovery services, along with health and wellness education. The clinic specializes in promoting health care in an urban setting to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and the surrounding diverse Minneapolis community.
Today, the Indian Health Board of Minneapolis operates from two current sites. We serve approximately 4,800 patients annually and more than 2,400 identified as American Indian and/or Alaska Native, and we employ more than 75 people.
Indian Health Board of Minneapolis opened its doors in the Phillips Neighborhood in 1971 after a local Ojibwe woman named Gloria lost her life due to negligent treatment based on her ethnic and racial background. In the 1960s, activists refused to let urban Indians go unseen and ignored any longer in the Twin Cities area, which inspired the formation of a number of organizations, including the Indian Health Board of Minneapolis. For the first time, urban Indians in Minneapolis had access to health care and services from organizations operated by American Indians for American Indian people.
What is an Urban Indian?
Urban Indians are tribal people currently living off federally-defined tribal lands in urban areas. Today, seven out of 10 American Indians and Alaska Natives reside in urban settings. Urban Indians are often an overlooked population in society, even though they represent the majority of American Indians and Alaska Natives throughout the country.
Over the last century, American Indian and Alaska Native people moved to, or were forced to relocate to, urban areas because of government policy, lack of economic opportunities, and limited access to health care and other services.
We Offer Indigenous Health Services
To meet the needs of the local American Indian and Alaskan Native communities seeking traditional care, we provide medicines like sage, cedar, tobacco, and sweet grass, as well as cultural practices like hand drumming and singing.
Guided by indigenous traditional beliefs and practices, the Indian Health Board of Minneapolis has a unique approach to health care that is based on local history and cultural knowledge. This allows us to approach medicine through a holistic system of care, which, for thousands of years, ensured that the mind, body, and spirit were cared for in a balanced way.
With traditional medicines at the center of everything we do, we are successful by:
- Providing unique care or lifestyle modification plans for American Indians and Alaska Natives in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area
- Investing in the American Indian and Alaska Native workforce.
- Supporting the health and well-being of urban Indian communities through information, scientific inquiry, and technology.
- Valuing the health outcomes of American Indians and Alaska Natives by protecting the federal trust responsibility through advocacy.
We Are Your Home for Quality Health Care
Though we primarily serve American Indians and Alaska Natives, we welcome all into our homes and serve all of our patients in the same way.
With doctors, nurses, dentists, psychologists, and professionals from various cultural and educational backgrounds, the Indian Health Board of Minneapolis is equipped to provide integrated care in a comfortable environment for patients of all ages.
We educate on preventative care and work with patients to develop unique care or lifestyle modification plans to address physical, mental, and behavioral issues in a culturally attuned way.
Workforce Development
Indian Health Board of Minneapolis always seeks to hire the most qualified professionals dedicated to the care of American Indians and Alaska Natives. Over the last year, our staff has grown by 44 percent, nearing 78 employees.
Through internships and programs like the Doctoral Internship Program or Niigimowinmiiwinzha in Ojibwe, we carry out our obligation to serve the diverse needs of the American Indian community by sharing our knowledge with the next generation of professionals.
Mission
To ensure access to quality health care services for American Indians and other peoples, and to promote health education and wellness.
Vision
IHB patients reach the highest level of health and wellness available, incorporating cultural health and wellness with the best available scientific medical knowledge. Patients receive the support and commitment of a staff dedicated to patient success and committed to the mission of IHB. Valued in its community, the Indian Health Board of Minneapolis is known as the best place for patients seeking health and wellness, and the best place in the industry and community to work.
Our Values & Commitments
Mino-Inawendiwin (Ojibwe Language)
Da Ya Unk Unpi (Dakota Language)
Good Relationships
IHB’s core value, Good Relationships, is supported by three interrelated values. Respect for culture: preserving and promoting its American Indian or Alaska Native heritage and identity, while embracing all other cultures with acceptance and compassion. Excellence: seeking excellence in all its services, business practices, and community partnerships. Leadership: promoting ethical leadership based on collaboration and mutual respect.
Eligibility and Accreditation
Indian Health Board of Minneapolis is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization incorporated in the State of Minnesota.
Although some services and programs are offered to eligible American Indian or Alaska Native patients, most primary care services are available to everyone regardless of race, color, sex, national origin, disability, religion, sexual orientation, or ability to pay. Indian Health Board of Minneapolis serves all patients and offers discounted fees based on income. We accept most insurances including Medicaid, Medicare, and private insurance.
Indian Health Board of Minneapolis is a Joint Commission-accredited facility, an FTCA deemed community health center and a proud partner of Live United Way. We have been serving our community since 1971.
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.