b'MENTAL HEALTHreceive mental healthcare where they felt comfortable in their space, whether on the trap line, out fishing, or in their homes, says Randi Ray, Noojimos founder and CEO of Aazhoganike Family of Companies in Naughton, Ontario. So, we knew there was a demand for something like Noojimo."When the COVID pandemic hit, Ray was approached by a Northern First Nation to assist with temporary mental health capacity support. She reached out to several Indigenous clinicians who agreed to help. One of them, Bill Hill, now co-CEO of Noojimo, recalls warming up to the idea of virtual mental health services while serving as director of Indigenous Mental Wellness at a local mental health hospital. I designed and led the implementa-tion of an Elder-guided mental well-ness program, says Hill, a Mohawk from Six Nations. However, our early operations were soon impacted by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. We were forced to use these virtual formats to provide care, and I didn\'t know if the format would work. People couldn\'t come into our Sacred Space, they couldn\'t smell the smoke, and they couldn\'t feel the energy that was in these rooms. We were concerned that going \'virtual\' wouldn\'t be effec-tive, but it was." Hill recognized how virtual health-care models could benefit Indigenous communities, especially those in more remote locations lacking access to local counsellors. Bills values and experi-ence-based guidance and leadership throughout Noojimos infancy was crit-ical in helping us get set up in the right way, recalls Ray, an Anishinaabe Kwe from Flying Post First Nation.From the start, the team understood that developing an all-Indigenous virtual mental health clinic would require input and perspectives from community leaders, members and healthcare stakeholders themselves. "We got together and started brain-storming with brilliant Indigenous thought leaders to figure out what they needed and what would work or not work," Ray says. "What we heard from them is that, yes, they wanted something like Noojimo Health, but Indigenous BUSINESS REPORT41'