Rebekah Fineday’s Gift for Building Trust in Healthcare Systems & Native Communities

Native Lights is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce — a.k.a. Minnesota — to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community.

Today, we’re speaking with Rebekah Fineday, a Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe citizen and Air Force veteran who serves as Sanford Health’s Native American community advocate in Bemidji, Minnesota. She is also a Registered Nurse and has worked at Indian Health Service (IHS) in Cass Lake and Red Lake for more than a decade. Through her work, she’s been advocating to improve health care in Native American communities which include community-minded patient relations, building relationships with other tribal health groups, and in-person patient advocacy.

She shares a little about her time in the Air Force, working in Indian Health Services, and the importance of community and culture in the health care system. Miigwech to Rebekah for sharing about what has led her along the path of advocating for Native Americans in Healthcare systems!

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine. Native Lights is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund.

Subscribe to Native Lights wherever you get your podcasts

More from Native Lights

• The Gift of Listening: Colleen Baldrica on writing, being guided, and mentoring others
  In this episode, we chat with author and retired school counselor Colleen Baldrica. Colleen, a White Earth Nation citizen, authored the book Tree Spirited Woman in 2006. During the pandemic, she recorded the audio version, so that her grandchildren could have an archive of her voice when they’re older. Colleen shares the experience – central …
• 
  Indigenous lifeways as solutions: Wakinyan LaPointe on staying grounded in the cultural teachings of song and the intelligence of Indigenous youth activists
  In this episode, we chat with human rights advocate, singer, storyteller, and University of Minnesota-Twin Cities American Studies doctoral student Wakinyan LaPointe. Wakinyan, a Sicangu (Burnt Thigh) Lakota citizen of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, focuses his studies on Indigenous rights, human rights, and youth organizing. He describes how his work with Indigenous young people, Indigenous …
• 
  Building bridges through story: Ajuawak Kapashesit on playing with genre, the power of story, and making action figure movies as a kid
  In this episode, we sit down with Minneapolis-based actor, writer, and director Ajuawak Kapashesit. Ajuawak, who is Ojibwe, Cree, and Jewish, grew up in Ontario and on the White Earth Reservation. His acting credits include Indian Horse (2017), Once Upon a River (2019), Indian Road Trip (2020), Bad Blood (CityTV/Netflix), and Outlander (Starz/Sony). Ajuawak’s short …