Our care. Our people.Our future.

An Indigenous-led not-for-profit helping care flow to the people who need it most. Grounded in Kímmapiiyipitssini, the Blackfoot teaching of empathy and compassion.

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Community-ledCulturally groundedBuilt to last
The journey

Every river starts in the mountains.

Ours begins in Blackfoot territory, in the shadow of Nináistako, Chief Mountain.

“Reconciliation is like a river. One may pour words and promises into it upstream, but if that water never reaches the thirsty people downstream, then it is not reconciliation.”A teaching shared by our Elder advisors
Downstream

Downstream, there are people.

Upstream there are promises, policies, and programs. If they never reach the people, they are only words. We exist to help care make the journey.

What we do

We help the river reach the people.

Upstream there are promises, policies, and programs. Downstream there are people. Across Canada, community groups are already out walking their own streets, the helpers who know every name. Birchbark exists to make them stronger.

Resources

What the work needs

Care kits, naloxone, supplies, and funding: the material support frontline groups rarely have.

Training

Skills that multiply

First aid, overdose response, wound care, and mental health first aid, taught train-the-trainer, so every skill spreads through the community.

Organization

A louder voice

Coordination, structure, and advocacy, so grassroots work can grow, last, and be heard.

So that everyone remembers they are part of the community.

Where it begins

It starts with a walk.

In Lethbridge, the SAGE Clan walks the streets at night, neighbours carrying naloxone, warm food, and open ears. A sandwich can be a bridge. A name, spoken with respect, can be a seed. We walk with them, and with groups like them across the country.

Fox artwork with painted stripes and a sun marking
A handwritten note reading: Even in dark times, there is light. You are not alone. I believe in you. You can do this.
An actual note from a Birchbark care kit. More than 2,000 have been handed out. Write one.
From the field
Naloxone and overdose-prevention training with the Blood Tribe Department of Health
Naloxone training with the Blood Tribe Department of Health
A first aid training session in a full classroom
First aid & CPR certification
Care kit supplies ready to be packed
Care kits, packed by hand
News headlines covering Bill 53 and Birchbark Health's advocacy for community-led care
Advocacy
Two presenters sharing Birchbark Health's work in a lecture hall
Education
A smudge kit: sage, a sweetgrass braid, sweetpine, an abalone shell, and matches on a wooden table
Smudge kits, prepared with care
Community members gathered around a buffalo hide in ceremony
Healing through ceremony
A baby in a Birchbark Health onesie wearing a beaded buffalo medallion
Educating our youth

To date, across our programs

500+People trainedWound care, first aid, smudging, naloxone, mental health first aid
2,000+Naloxone kits distributedLife-saving overdose response, carried into the community
1,200 LHot chocolate pouredWarmth, one cup at a time, on cold Lethbridge nights
2,000+Supportive notes handed outFrom medical students, people with lived experience, and community members
$100,000+Raised to dateIn donations and in-kind support for our programs
“Someone taught me, so now I am supposed to teach others.”
Program participant, after naloxone training

Working hand-in-hand with the Blood Tribe Department of Health, the Lethbridge SAGE Clan, and partners across the community.

Who we are

Rooted in culture. Guided by community.

Birchbark Health Ltd. is an Indigenous-led not-for-profit building healthier futures through care that honours community, culture, and the land. Our work is grounded in Kímmapiiyipitssini, the Blackfoot teaching of empathy and compassion.

Bison artwork with a striped heartline running from its mouth up its neck
Who we are

Rooted in respect

An Indigenous-led not-for-profit committed to building healthier futures by advancing community-driven healthcare rooted in culture, compassion, and respect.

Our mission

Care that lasts

Advance Indigenous healthcare through community-led, culturally grounded initiatives that create lasting impact and wellness for generations to come.

Our vision

Access for all

A future where every Indigenous person has access to high-quality, culturally grounded healthcare, supported by strong local capacity and sustainable models of care.

A community sharing circle in a gymnasium
In community

Healing happens in circle.

Every program begins the same way: by listening to the people and nations we walk alongside.

Get connected

Our people live. Our culture leads. Our voices shape the systems around us.

That is the future we are building. Whether you are a community, clinician, funder, or ally, we would love to hear from you.

Get in touch →