Seattle Indian Health Board

Mission and Vision

Our mission is to advocate for and provide culturally appropriate, high-quality, and accessible health and human services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. We envision a time when all Native people have healthy and successful lives.

A Legacy of Care and Activism

We opened our doors to the community in 1970. In the 1960s, Native activists refused to let urban Indians go unseen and ignored any longer. This inspired the formation of numerous Native organizations — including ours. Over 50 years later, we are a leader in community and public health providing services to all people in a Native way throughout the Seattle area.

Our public health arm, Urban Indian Health Institute, conducts research and provides disease surveillance for Indigenous communities as a Tribal Epidemiology Center (TEC). As one of 12 TECs in the nation — and the only one serving urban Indians nationwide — we use public health data to advise and advocate for Indigenous people in health policy. Today, 7 out of 10 Native people live in urban settings, yet only a small fraction of the Indian Health Service budget goes to Urban Indian Organizations.  

You can make a difference for Native health in Seattle and nationwide. 

A Cultural Facility that Centers Community

We're aspiring to update our Leschi Center clinic to accommodate growth in patients, staff, and cultural programming. Physical updates to the building will allow us to add 100 low-income housing units to our community health center to address the disproportionate rates of homelessness among Native people and the rising housing costs in King County. Additionally, if we receive the necessary funding for these much-needed upgrades, it will enable us to fully implement our Indigenous Knowledge Informed Systems of Care model which integrates our behavioral, dental, medical, and traditional health services. With the help of our supporters, we aim to raise $46.2 million.

Expanding Access to Culturally Attuned Care

Native people are building community in Seattle’s northern and southernmost neighborhoods, demonstrating strength and adaptability as rapid gentrification continues to transform the city. Recognizing that we needed to meet our relatives where they are, we developed three new sites: Lake City, Pioneer Square, and a mobile dental van. Your contributions well help ensure that services at these locations remain strong and accessible.