09/02/2026
Goba care is filling important gaps 💜🦋
I am proud to share findings from a review of Indigenous medical travel support services, completed by our research colleague Vicki Loader with input from Kate Kerber.
The jurisdictional scan (a research approach that compares how different places and groups address the same issue) looked at existing Indigenous health navigation, medical travel, peer-support, advocacy, accommodation and other services available across Alberta and Canada, and identified an important gap for Northerners.
It showed with evidence what we knew already: Goba Care stands apart from existing service models in this country.
Founded in Edmonton in 2021, Goba Care was built from the lived experience of northern medical travel and caregiving. We provide free, Indigenous-led support to medical travellers and their families from a community lens. We go with patients to appointments, help them navigate the health system and advocate for their needs, connecting them with services throughout their medical travel journey.
One of the most important findings of the scan is that many existing programs must be accessed from inside the healthcare system. Goba Care is different because our support follows the person and family, rather than being limited to one hospital, department, diagnosis or appointment.
The review found that Goba Care was the only organization that can walk with patients across the full spectrum of their medical travel journey, providing culturally grounded, relationship-based and lived-experience peer support.
For me, this confirms why Goba Care was created in the first place. Northern medical travellers deserve to feel supported, understood, advocated for and connected to community while they are away from home.
There is a longstanding gap in putting people first in our healthcare system and Goba Care is helping fill that gap.
Mahsi to Vicki for completing this important work. This is something I am incredibly proud of for Goba Care, our team, and most importantly, the northern patients and families we serve🦋
